About the City of DeBary

The City of DeBary is known for its warm and friendly hometown atmosphere. DeBary has thousands of oak trees, is a Bird Sanctuary, and has an extensive park system. Located on the northern shore of the beautiful St. Johns River, it is the gateway to southwestern Volusia County, with direct access to I-4 and U.S. Highway 17/92 and serves as a corridor between Orlando, Sanford, and Daytona Beach. DeBary has been incorporated since December 31, 1993 and has a population of 21,900 (2019) within an area of 25 square miles.

The Mayor and City Council are exceptionally business-friendly and actively encourage new businesses to locate in DeBary. DeBary enjoys one of the lowest ad valorem tax rates in Volusia County. The City contracts for police, fire, and animal control, which keeps costs low while providing a high level of service. As an experiment in innovative government, DeBary is an ideal candidate to serve as a model to other communities.

DeBary Hall Historic Site is the restored winter home of Samuel Frederick de Bary, the first settler in this region. Built in 1871, the 8,000 sq. ft. Italianate architectural style mansion is open to the public and has art displays, multimedia programs, and docent-led tours. DeBary Hall Historic Site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1972.
DeBary offers a diversity of lifestyles, which include upscale country clubs and championship golf courses, rural acreage with horses, and riverside homes. Environmentally-sensitive areas and agricultural areas of the City are separated from low-to-medium density residential areas by a power plant, a community park, and a subdivision of one-acre home sites with a rural/residential zoning classification.

Events held each year in the City include our 4th of July Celebration, Christmas Parade,  Tree Lighting Ceremony and Chili Cook Off, Halloween and Christmas Lights decoration contests, Pot Luck Dinners, and Father and Daughter Dance. The Gateway Center for the Arts conducts several theatrical performances, art festivals, Youth Celebration of the Arts, and concerts by the Gateway Orchestra. Many other event organizers coordinate events within the City year-round to include races, food trucks and farmers markets, sports tournaments, festivals, and more!

The parks located in the City vary from neighborhood playgrounds and sports complexes to a large 108-acre Nature Park that boasts a world class 36-hole disc golf course. Gemini Springs Park is a Volusia County Park named for its free-flowing twin springs with full recreational activities. Memorial Park is a 2.5-acre passive park with picnic pavilions, an F-15A Eagle airplane, and a 9-ton anchor from the USS Langley. Rob Sullivan Community Park is the largest sports park and is named for a former Council Member who was instrumental in the early development of the City's park system. The City has 9 parks in total with several different amenities to include playgrounds, pavilions, courts, and fields. There are also 3 County parks located within the City limits.

DeBary Babe Ruth baseball and softball games are held at Bill Keller and Rob Sullivan Parks, along with all the City sports programs. DeBary Parks Recreation Department offers a wide variety of recreation programs to the children and youth of our community as well as activities for adults. Programs offered are the Youth Soccer, Youth Dodgeball, Youth Kickball, Adult Kickball, Youth Tumbling, Youth Flag Football, Youth Cheerleading, Summer Camp, and several other contracted programs and classes.

DeBary is an activist community with citizens serving on a wide variety of volunteer boards and committees. The City administers a Neighborhood Watch Program and a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), as well as offering presentations on subjects important in the lives of our residents.

A community that emphasizes quality of life and quality of services, DeBary stands out in terms of distinctive character, charm, and resources. It is ultimate small-town living with friendly citizens, sunny climate, and an open-door City Council; it is progressive, yet has retained its unique southern charm. DeBary's distinctive qualities motivate people and businesses to VISIT DeBary, to WORK in DeBary, and to LIVE in DeBary.