Ormond Beach Moves to Buy Former Osceola Elementary Site for $2.5 Million

Volusia County Schools surplused the 11.6-acre property at 100 Osceola Ave. in late June, citing cost. According to the district, maintaining the site has been running about $3.43 million a year, and the district intends to demolish the existing school buildings as part of the sale. Because of a long-standing interlocal agreement dating back to 1974, the city was granted first right of refusal before the district could sell to anyone else.

The Osceola site has functioned as a de facto public park for generations, even while it belonged to the school district. Baseball and basketball fields, a tennis court, a playground, restrooms and three parking lots on the property have been used by the community under the longstanding agreement. City Manager Joyce Shanahan pointed to the city's parks and recreation master plan, which identified a need for more recreational facilities on the beachside, as a key reason to secure the land permanently.

"Adding the Osceola property to the city's inventory of parks will allow the city to continue the legacy of public use first established by Volusia County Schools more than 70 years ago," Shanahan wrote in a letter to the School Board.

There was also a more defensive motivation. City staff told commissioners that if Ormond Beach didn't buy the property, it would likely be sold for residential development, with preliminary concepts showing room for roughly 30 to 40 houses on the site.

The purchase wasn't a unanimous slam dunk on the city side. At an Aug. 5 commission meeting, Mayor Jason Leslie expressed hesitation, citing possible budget pressure if a statewide property tax reform amendment passes in November, and noting the city would be buying the property without a firm plan for what to do with it. He compared the situation to the city's still-undetermined plans for the former church site at 56 N. Beach St., and noted the city already holds surplus land it hasn't developed. Despite his reservations, the rest of the commission was largely supportive, and staff moved forward with an offer.

The district had received two competing offers on the property, $2.35 million and $2.5 million, before agreeing to negotiate with the city at the higher figure.

The purchase is not yet final. City officials say the property is currently in a due diligence period, and specific funding details, including how the city will pay for the purchase, are still being worked out. Ormond Beach Buzz will follow up once terms are finalized and the city outlines its plans for the site's future use.