During the 2022–2023 school year, Volusia County Schools identified 3,007 students who were homeless. This includes about 200 unaccompanied youth who attend school without a guardian or stable housing. 

For the year of 2023 Volusia county is ranked #10 out of the 68 reported counties for child abuse and neglect cases with a positive determination for abuse. This report is ONLY for children ages 5-11. We can only speculate how many more active cases there are if we included all ages of adolescents.

TWO DAYS AGO the event listed below occurred. 

(DeLand, Florida) – A 32-year-old DeLand man was arrested and charged with sexual battery after having sex with a runaway girl who DeLand police officers recovered after being alerted she was in the DeLand area.  The victim, who was found in Chess Park Wednesday, Jan. 29th, 2025, told officers she was sexually battered by the suspect, Carlos A. Ortiz (01/06/1993). Detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division quickly located Ortiz and took him into custody.  On Monday, Jan. 27th, 2025, the girl was flagged as a missing teen that was possibly in the DeLand area. The next day, around 10:40 p.m., while responding to a report of a suspicious incident, police came in contact with a female who was later determined to be the runaway teen. At the time, officers were unable to verify the female’s identity and unable to legally detain her. The teen provided a false name to police.  Efforts to locate the teen continued until she was found at Chess Park.  During the investigation, detectives learned the teen communicated with another individual via a dating platform and misrepresented her age. The male contacted police but the juvenile ran away from his residence before officers arrived.  Ortiz was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail where he is charged with sexual battery and failing to deliver leased equipment. Ortiz is being held without bond. Due to the nature of the case, the Department of Children and Families was contacted. It was determined the minor’s home was unsuitable so she was placed into state custody.  The investigation remains active and further details will be released when available. 

I AM PROPOSING A PETITION FOR A SOLUTION FOR THE CHILDREN OF OUR COMMUNITY. Please read the following rough draft of “Shielded Youth” locations. A federal grant proposal that will help shield our youth from harm with opened arms.

There are over 90 schools in Volusia county ranging from preschools to Highschools. There are another 70 colleges and Volusia county is ranked #14 out of 68 for the largest school district. 

What are these spaces used for after hours? Nothing. We as tax payers pay for the lights to stay on throughout the evening BUT WHY? if the buildings are unoccupied with no essential use for it? Since the lights stay on shouldn’t we use these buildings to our communities advantage? 

I am proposing “Shielded youth” locations through out all of Volusia county. This will include allowing homeless, abused or runaway children to be able to press a call button located outside of a “Shielded Youth” participating school. Instead of using tax dollars to pay for janitors during the day the department of education could hire a night crew, or split shifts. This will provide an adult in the building that will be required to take a trained course to intake the child until an on call social worker or school counselor can arrive to assist. The other alternative I am proposing is that this be done at colleges. This is due to the thousands of college students training in social work, children’s psychiatry and psychology, education. Would it not better their education if there was a program such as “Shielded Youth” where they could help the children of our community and learn how to handle and manage these circumstances? If we implemented this proposal properly with my recommendations along with others this would keep the budget proposal low due to using the already on call social workers, or volunteer college students seeking to earn credits towards their courses. After the intake process the child/children can be held until they can be relocated back to their homes, assisted by the department of children’s and families or to a safe space location or shelter.

I believe that implementing this program and receiving a federal grant to impose this program can and will prevent our communities children from harm, abuse and provide them with support in keeping our children safe in this community. After receiving the recommended amount of petitions I will recommend this to the board of education, our cabinet representatives, our house representatives and our senator. If you believe that this is a necessary change and will benefit the wellbeing of our community as well as believe this should be a priority please sign this petition and provide your support. Thank you all for reading and your considerations for this proposal.