They could be in Volusia County, where three area codes cause havoc.

In places like Deltona and Osteen in southwestern Volusia, moms have to dial long distance to call their children's schools, Volusia officials testified last night at a Florida Public Service Commission hearing.

No one from Jacksonville spoke at the hearing at the Holiday Inn at Interstate 295 and Commonwealth Avenue. The forum, with about a dozen speakers, was part of the commission's plans to alter area codes statewide.

Officials from Nassau and Clay counties expressed a desire to remain tied with Jacksonville in 904.

But their requests of the three-member commission were minor compared to Volusia's.

"Deltona needs help," said Fritz Behring, Deltona city manager. "The telephone communications situation can only be described in two terms -- confusing and frustrating."

Volusia is divided between 904, 407 and 321.

Next-door neighbors are in different area codes.

The 911 system is full of headaches.

Some or all of the 16 counties using the 904 area code, including Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns, could conceivably get a new code as early as this summer.

The Public Service Commission is considering about 15 different options.

But commission Chairman Joe Garcia asked several Volusia officials last night if they liked an option that would give their county one new area code and leave 904 intact in the Jacksonville area for at least five years.

The Volusia officials said that would work.

After a series of public hearings such as last night's, the commission is expected to decide on changes by August.

Rapid growth in the number of residential and business phones in North Florida has nearly exhausted the number of available 904 numbers, officials said.

In general, two options are available for assigning new area codes:

A geographic split, in which the 904 area would be divided. One part would keep 904 and the other would get a new code.

That's what happened when 850 was started in some areas of the Panhandle in 1997.

Simply assigning a new three-digit code to new phone lines established after no more 904 numbers are available.

While 904 users would keep that code, all callers in the area would have to dial all 10 digits after another code is assigned to new users.

There could also be a combination of those two methods.

Most urban areas have been forced to adapt to changing area codes in recent years.