DeLand City Commission: Members, Meetings, and 2026 Election

The DeLand City Commission is the five-member elected board that sets policy for the City of DeLand, Florida. It adopts the city’s budget, passes ordinances, hires the city manager, and meets on the first and third Monday of each month at City Hall. The next municipal election is August 18, 2026, with three of the five seats on the ballot.¹

Who Sits on the Commission

The commission has five members: one mayor-commissioner and four commissioners.² All five are elected citywide rather than from districts, and all races are nonpartisan, so no candidate runs under a party label.³ Each seat is numbered 1 through 5, with Seat 1 reserved for the mayor-commissioner, and terms run four years and are staggered so the entire board never turns over at once.¹

The mayor presides over commission meetings and has a voice and a vote on every item, but no veto. The mayor also signs ordinances, executes contracts on the city’s behalf, and acts as the ceremonial head of the city.² What the mayor does not have is day-to-day administrative authority. That belongs to the city manager, under DeLand’s commission-manager form of government.⁴

Commissioner salaries are set by ordinance, but any pay change the commission votes for itself cannot take effect until after the next election.⁵

What the Commission Does

The commission is DeLand’s policy-making body. It adopts ordinances and resolutions on land use, public safety, parks, utilities, airport operations, and economic development.⁶ Each year it adopts the municipal budget and sets the ad valorem millage rate, which determines how much property owners pay per $1,000 of assessed value. The adopted budget is published each fiscal year on the city’s website.⁷

The commission also appoints residents to advisory boards such as the Planning Board, the Historic Preservation Board, and the Tree Advisory Committee, which feed specialized recommendations back to the elected body.⁸ Major contracts, legal settlements, and other high-stakes decisions need final commission approval.

One of the commission’s most consequential hires is the city manager, who serves as chief executive and runs all city departments. The charter bars any sitting commissioner from being appointed manager during their term or within one year after leaving office.⁹

When and Where the Commission Meets

Regular meetings are held on the first and third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the commission chambers at City Hall, 120 South Florida Avenue.¹⁰ The city clerk prepares an agenda packet with staff reports, proposed resolutions, and supporting documents, which residents can access online before each meeting. Meetings are live-streamed for anyone who cannot attend in person.⁶

The city attorney sits with the commission during proceedings to provide real-time legal guidance, and the city clerk records the minutes and certifies all votes.¹¹ Minutes capture the official actions taken rather than a verbatim transcript.¹⁰

All of this operates under Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Law. Every meeting where official action is taken must be open to the public, the board must give reasonable notice beforehand, and minutes must be recorded promptly and remain open for inspection. A commissioner who knowingly violates these open-meeting requirements commits a second-degree misdemeanor, and an unknowing violation can draw a fine of up to $500.¹²

How to Speak at a Meeting

If you want to address the commission, fill out a yellow speaker’s card and hand it to the city clerk before the meeting begins. The card identifies you and the topic you want to discuss, which helps the mayor manage the order of speakers.¹³

There are two windows for public comment. The “Public Appearance” portion is for topics not already on that evening’s agenda. For items that are on the agenda, such as a rezoning hearing or a budget amendment, the mayor opens the floor for comment when that item comes up. In either case, the mayor may ask speakers to keep their remarks to three minutes depending on the length of the agenda and how many people want to talk.¹³ It’s a practical guideline rather than a hard rule, but sticking to it is the fastest way to make your point.

Direct your comments to the commission as a whole rather than to individual staff or audience members, and keep the tone respectful. That’s how your input becomes part of the official record without derailing the meeting.

The 2026 Election

DeLand’s next general municipal election is August 18, 2026. Three seats are on the ballot: Seat 1 (the mayor-commissioner position) and Seats 3 and 5. If no candidate wins outright, a runoff is set for November 3, 2026.¹

To run, you must be a registered voter in DeLand, and you file your qualifying papers with the DeLand city clerk. Required filings include an Appointment of Campaign Treasurer form, a Statement of Candidate, a loyalty oath for nonpartisan races, and a financial disclosure form. You can qualify by paying a fee or by collecting petition signatures, with deadlines set by the city charter.¹⁴

One restriction catches people off guard: current city employees cannot publicly or privately hold themselves out as candidates in any city election, and doing so results in immediate separation from city employment. A city employee who wants to run has to resign first.³

1
City of DeLand, FL. Election Information
2
Municode Library. DeLand Code of Ordinances – Charter and Related Laws – Section: The City Commission
3
Municode Library. DeLand Code of Ordinances – Article IX Elections
4
City of DeLand. City Manager
5
Municode Library. DeLand Code of Ordinances – Charter and Related Laws – Section: Salary
6
City of DeLand. City Commission
7
City of DeLand, FL. Annual Budget
8
City of DeLand. Tree Advisory Committee
9
City of DeLand. DeLand Charter Review – City Manager Provisions
10
City of DeLand, Florida. City Meetings
11
City of DeLand, Florida. City Clerk
12
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 286.011 – Public Meetings and Records
13
DeLand, Florida. Am I Allowed to Speak at a City Commission Meeting, and How Do I Request to Do So
14
Volusia County Supervisor of Elections. Becoming a Candidate