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Deltona officials raise questions over Christmas Parade, Winter Ball
Deltona city commissioners are calling for an audit following questions about fundraising events linked to the mayor, including a winter ball that raised about $11,000 with no clear accounting of how the money will be used.
DELTONA, Fla. - Questions over how money was raised and handled during two high-profile city events — the Deltona Christmas Parade and the Mayor’s Winter Ball — have sparked calls for greater accountability and prompted city leaders to consider a formal audit of Deltona’s finances.
The scrutiny centers on the creation and collection of fees, the city’s role in private fundraising efforts and whether established policies and procedures were properly followed.
The Christmas Parade
What they're saying:
There were concerns about the City of Deltona Christmas Parade.
For Deltona resident Brandy White, the concerns were so severe she called for a fraud investigation into the city.
"It’s about policy and procedure," White said. "It all adds up, and it shows a pattern of abuse and misuse of your position. And that's something we need to see some accountability on."
Traditionally, the city has requested participants donate either toys or gift cards on the day of the parade, which the Deltona Firefighter’s Foundation would pick up and distribute to kids.
This year, a Parade Committee decided on a $75 entry fee. Commissioner Dori Howington says that should not have happened.
"In the city of Deltona, the only people who can create a fee are the seven people who sit on the Commission," she said. "And if that did not come before us, why was a fee charged?"
The other problem is, the city didn’t collect the fee themselves, and neither did the Deltona Firefighters Foundation.
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Instead, that was handled by a private Christian school that Mayor Santiago Avila’s daughter attends, and where his wife works: Trinity Christian Academy.
The City of Deltona told FOX 35’s Marie Edinger, "During an [operational, non-public] parade committee meeting [that included city staff] the Deltona Firefighters Foundation stated they were not sure how to collect donations. At that time, Trinity Christian Academy said they could do it."
But the Deltona Firefighters Foundation denied that, saying to Edinger,
"The Deltona Firefighters Foundation was not involved in the planning, organization, fundraising, or collection of funds associated with the city of Deltona Christmas Parade."
The Deltona Firefighters Association has three options on its website for how people can donate online.
"It is our parade," said Commissioner Howington. "I want to stress that because that makes a difference in how the accounting is managed. Being the principal, we are required to take control of the revenue and the expenses and report them on our financials."
The city manager says the parade raised about $3,400, which has already been donated by Trinity Christian Academy to the Deltona Firefighter’s Foundation for the purchase of toys. The city manager says next year, there will not be a fee to participate in the parade.
He says that means there won’t be as much fundraising for the Firefighter’s Foundation, and needy kids will be the only ones who suffer from that.
The Winter Ball
Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. hosted a Winter Ball in conjunction with the Volusia County Hispanic Association (VCHA), raising money for the "renovation and expansion of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties (BGCVFC), Harris Saxon location in Deltona."
The BGCVFC emailed the mayor, the city manager, and the VCHA the day before the ball, telling him they have no renovation plans for that building, and saying not to use their name without prior approval.
BGCVFC CEO Dr. Camesha Whittaker Samuel told FOX 35 Reporter Marie Edinger she was able to meet with the mayor and the VCHA after the ball, adding in a statement,
"The parties agreed to reconvene after the holiday season to continue the discussion, including how the finalized funding amount will directly support enrichment programs for the youth served by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties."
The mayor and VCHA, however, say the money is not going to enrichment programs, but rather the renovation and expansion of the City-owned building out of which the BGCVFC operates.
"There's a line item within an account that is restricted only for the expansion or renovation of the Harris-Saxon bill," said Mayor Avila on Friday. "They are benefiting if we expand the building. There's no question on that because their waiting list gets reduced, right?"
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Originally, advertising for the Ball said the City of Deltona was a partner. That verbiage is still on the Facebook event page for the ball, and on the Volusia County Hispanic Association’s website.
The City, however, has denied involvement.
City Manager Doc Dougherty did admit to FOX 35 Reporter Marie Edinger that City staff made a promotional video for the ball and the City advertised for the ball on its social media platforms.
The city manager says that isn’t unusual, but Commissioner Dori Howington takes issue with it.
"I don't know how I could tell my residents that we didn't expend any funds," she said.
The Volusia County Hispanic Association President, Cassie Landron, says they’re doing the Mayor’s Winter Ball against next year. They’re planning for December 5th, 2026.
"At the very end of that night, we sat there, I had tears in my eyes. Like, this was amazing. I don't care what nobody says. We did something good tonight," said Landron.
The Mayor’s side
The other side:
FOX 35 asked Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. for comment.
"No good deed goes unpunished," said Mayor Avila.
The mayor feels certain opponents of his have been blowing things out of proportion.
"You give them a solution to their problem, and they give you a problem to your solution."
The audit
Dig deeper:
The Deltona Commission is considering whether to undergo an audit of its finances.
At their December 15th meeting, the Commission chose to limit the scope of the audit to save on costs. They’ve allotted half a million dollars for the job.
Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. voted against the audit, despite having supported one as he was campaigning in 2022. He even requested one in 2023 and got a letter back from the Florida House of Representatives, saying it did not appear to be necessary.
Now, Mayor Avila agrees the city doesn’t need an audit, and that money would be better spent elsewhere.
Other allegations
Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. had previously gone through a quasi-judicial hearing accusing him of financial mismanagement, after he used taxpayer money to attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025.
The mayor escaped a vote of no confidence, accusing him of knowingly violating the travel policy. He’d been informed of the policy after a previous unapproved trip to Georgia.
The Commission in total voted 4-3 in favor of the mayor, with Mayor Avila’s own vote for his innocence breaking the tie.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Deltona city commissioners, Deltona residents, City Manager Doc Dougherty, and Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila Jr.