Historic Preservation Board

ABOUT THE BOARD

Members are appointed by the DeBary Council to advise the City Council on matters related to historic preservation policy.  Board members will serve for a period specified by the City Council. 

The City of DeBary Historic Preservation Advisory Board shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Propose and recommend to the City Council, financial and technical incentive programs to further the objectives of historic preservation.
2. Educate owners of designated historic resources and the general public on the benefits of historic preservation and federal, state, and local laws and policies regarding the protection of historic resources.
3. Request grant assistance through the City Council from state, federal, or private sources for the purpose of furthering the objectives of historic preservation.
4. Perform any other function or duty related to historic preservation as assigned by the City Council.
5. Attend pertinent Historic Preservation educational meetings, workshops, and conferences sponsored by the Department of State, Division of Historical Resources.
6. Seek expertise, on proposals or matters requiring evaluation by a professional not represented on the Board.
7. Encourage Board members to participate in the survey and planning activities of the City of DeBary.

The board shall hold at least four regular meetings each year but may hold additional meetings if it deems necessary. Each regular meeting shall have been previously posted at least 24 hours prior to the meeting, which shall be opened to the public. The board may adopt a regular meeting schedule that provides for the time, date, and place of said meetings.

Mission Statement

On October 16, 2023, the Board adopted the following mission statement:

Develop a diverse program that preserves DeBary’s rich history from the 1800’s to present day for the benefit of our residents and visitors.

PROJECTS

The Board conducted a strategic planning process to determine priorities.  Thirty-three projects were identified and ranked.  The Board then selected the top three projects to undertake and begin their mission.   These priorities are:

1) Identify Residents and Business who have been in DeBary prior to 1994 and capture an oral history.

2) Inventory current history documentation and artifacts.

3) Create a printed history of our city. 

History Harvest

Currently, the Board is  embarking on a project #`1  to capture the oral history of our city, which will be preserved in our archives for future generations. Currently in its initial phase, the Board aims to interview both residents and businesses. For Phase One of this endeavor, we are seeking individuals with personal or family history of having lived in DeBary 1993 or earlier and are eager to contribute to the DeBary Oral History Project, Phase 1.

UCF’s history department will be working with the DeBary Historic Board to create a recorded oral and visual history and collect artifacts reflecting DeBary’s history.   Residents will be invited to City Hall to bring in documents that can be scanned (and then returned to the owners) and artifacts that might be donated and documented.  Further, residents here prior to 1994 will be asked to contribute to the recorded audio/visual history.

If you'd like to be part of this initiative, or know someone who would qualify, please have the visit City Hall at 16 Colomba Road on July 8, 2024 from 9:30am-2pm.  

Questions can be mailed to History@debary.org