DAYTONA BEACH
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 1, NO. 11
CULINARY CONTEST PAGE 8A
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2025
Welcome back, JetBlue!
JetBlue returns to the Daytona Beach airport as its 5th commercial airline, after a seven-year absence. PAGE 6A
School district State to investigate Daytona P-card usage OKs $1.8M for speech therapy Mayor Henry welcomes the audit: ‘We will provide full cooperation and access to resources, ensuring a comprehensive review.’
Speech language pathologists say it’s only needed because of their own low wages. PAGE 4A INSIDE LAND CONSERVATION Bond discussion leads County Council to seek information on Volusia Forever acquisition list, funding process. PAGE 4A
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 4B Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword.................. PAGE 4C Letters.......................PAGE 10A Public Notices............ PAGE 5C Sports..........................PAGE 7B Tributes ...................... PAGE 2B Real Estate................. PAGE 4B
FREE
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
The Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Committee will conduct an audit of Daytona Beach, following accusations of misuse of city funds. At its Dec. 8 meeting, the committee approved a request made by Florida Sen. Tom Wright, of District 8, which encompasses a large part of Volusia County. Wright wrote in a letter to the committee requesting the review that recent developments “have raised significant concerns about the City’s financial management practices.” Wright was referring to the fact that the city has accumulated an excess of building permit funds — which already was reviewed by the Auditing Committee — and, more recently, the possible mismanagement of taxpayer money with city-
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Daytona Dog Beach volunteers Jason and Betsy Lewis with their dogs, Petra and Roxy. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
ON YOUR DRIVEWAY.
issued “purchasing” credit cards, called P-cards. Wright said recent investigative reporting has “detailed a troubling pattern of P-card irregularities,” including “vague justifications, inadequate documentation, questionable expenditures and internal controls that appear insufficient to prevent abuse or misuse of taxpayer funds.” Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry has repeatedly stated in City Commission meetings that he has not seen any information or evidence showing wrongdoing. But, in a statement made on his Facebook page on Dec. 9, Henry wrote that he welcomes the audit by Florida’s Auditor General.
for them. The city needs a central filing system, he said. “This is not rocket science,” he said. “Every organization I have audited has those documentation.” His travel audit found that employees would spend city money on $100 meals while out at conferences — even where the meal was included in the event — and some on valet parking. Multiple purchases did not have itemized receipts with them, so the city has no way to know if, for example, a meal included alcoholic beverages, he said. There were also unauthorized travels, some without documented purposes or multiple times in a year, with no way to tell if the trips were of a personal nature, Belachew said. One employee bought a business class plane ticket because it “was refundable,” even though economy tickets were as well. Additionally, he said, the audit found people had car allowances included as part of their compensation packages, even when those individuals have primarily office jobs. The city spends $350,000 a year on car allowances, he said. Corrective action needs to be taken, he said.
Barks on the beach Volusia County celebrates new dog beach in Daytona. PAGE 5A
ON NEWSSTANDS.
Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry Photo by Sierra Williams
“We are confident in our financial management and view this as an opportunity to demonstrate transparency and accountability. We will provide full cooperation and access to resources, ensuring a comprehensive review,” he wrote. “This process allows us to address any misconceptions, rebuild trust with our residents and business partners, and continue driving Daytona Beach forward. We are committed to addressing any findings and maintaining the city’s positive trajectory.” The city has been under fire about the usage of its P-card system since Commissioner Stacy Cantu initially brought up the issue in the Nov. 5 City Commission meeting. City Auditor Abinet Belachew, who had just completed an audit on the city employee travel expenses, said at the Dec. 3 meeting that the Daytona Beach travel expense policy was last updated in the 1990s. In his travel audit, he found policies that were subjective — like setting a travel meal budget to what is “reasonable” instead of a fixed amount — and disorganized. Documentation of purchases were not readily available, he said, but instead staff would have to search
This Sud’s for you New car wash, Sud Stop, opens opens near Margaritaville.
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