September 2, 2026 · Ormond Beach Buzz

What Comes Next for Mayor-Elect Tolland, and Who's Filling Her Old Seat

By Staff report

Lori Tolland smiling at a campaign table in front of an 'Elect Lori Tolland for Mayor' banner. — Photo courtesy of the Lori Tolland campaign

Ormond Beach's history-making election is decided, but the transition is still ahead. Mayor-elect Lori Tolland is preparing to leave her Zone 1 seat for the mayor's chair, opening the door for Zone 1 winner Melissa DeVriese.

The short version
Tolland won the mayor's office outright in the Aug. 18 primary with 51.26% of the vote.
Her move to mayor automatically vacates the Zone 1 commission seat she has held since 2022.
Melissa DeVriese, president of Security First Insurance, won Zone 1 outright with 51.24%.
Growth, traffic, green space, flood mitigation and public safety top Tolland's stated priorities.
The swearing-in will likely wait until after the Nov. 3 Zone 4 runoff so commissioners are seated together.

Ormond Beach's history-making election is decided, but the transition is still ahead. Mayor-elect Lori Tolland, who won the city's top office outright in the Aug. 18 primary with 51.26% of the vote, is preparing to step out of her current role as Zone 1 commissioner and deputy mayor and into the mayor's chair, a shift that also opens the door for Zone 1 winner Melissa DeVriese to take her seat.

Who Is Lori Tolland

Tolland has lived in Ormond Beach since 1989 and spent her career as a perioperative nurse, working at East Coast Surgery Center and later at Halifax Health's Twin Lakes facility. Before joining the City Commission, she served on the city's Planning Board from 2016 to 2022 and on the Leisure Services Advisory Board since 2000. She was first elected to the Zone 1 commission seat in 2022 and was reelected without opposition in 2024, later being named deputy mayor.

Her civic résumé also includes chairing the restoration of the Greenhouse at the Ormond Beach Art Museum and Gardens, leading the city's first community garden project in Central Park, and spearheading upgrades including LED lighting at the airport athletic fields and improvements to girls' softball facilities. She has twice received recognition from the Garden Club of America, including its Civic Volunteer Award in 2019.

Her Stated Priorities as Mayor

Throughout her campaign, Tolland pointed to growth and development as the issue she hears about most from residents, noting that even modest year-over-year growth in Ormond Beach has been compounded by development pressure from neighboring cities, particularly the Ormond Crossing project near the I-95 and U.S. 1 interchange. She has said traffic congestion and preserving green space rank among residents' top concerns.

As a candidate, Tolland also emphasized flood mitigation, drawing on her current role on a city stormwater committee, along with keeping property taxes low and maintaining strong support for police and fire services.

The Domino Effect: Zone 1's New Commissioner

Because Tolland was term-limited from holding both seats, her move to mayor automatically vacated the Zone 1 commission seat. That contest was decided the same night: Melissa DeVriese, president of Security First Insurance and a native of Ormond Beach, won the seat outright with 51.24% of the vote, beating out Alan Burton and Coleen McMahon.

DeVriese, whose father Locke Burt founded Security First, has said her deep local roots and business background were central to her pitch to voters. She led the Zone 1 field in fundraising throughout the campaign.

When Does the Transition Happen?

Ormond Beach has historically sworn in its mayor and City Commission together at a single ceremony after election results are finalized. In past cycles, that ceremony has taken place in mid-to-late November. Because this year's Zone 4 race is headed to a runoff on Nov. 3, it's likely the city will again wait to seat all commissioners together once that race is settled, though Ormond Beach Buzz will confirm the exact date with the City Clerk's office as it's announced.

Until the swearing-in, Jason Leslie remains the sitting mayor and Tolland remains the Zone 1 commissioner, meaning the current five-member commission will continue conducting business as usual in the weeks ahead.

Ormond Beach Buzz will follow the transition and bring readers coverage of the swearing-in ceremony once a date is confirmed.

Sources

Reported by Staff report for Ormond Beach Buzz. Candidate filings, precinct details and voting information come from the City of Ormond Beach.

Official city information