DAYTONA BEACH
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 1, NO. 30
More in taxes, to help teachers? Volusia County Schools and teachers union to pursue tax referendum. PAGE 7A INSIDE 2-POINT WIN
Mainland holds off Lake Howell 14-12 in flag football district semifinal. PAGE 9B
ALTERNATIVE
Volusia County Schools is considering relocating alternative program from Ormond to Holly Hill. PAGE 4A
TOP SELLER
Mosaic home sells for $770K in West Daytona. PAGE 4B
Program for the blind PAGE 9A
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Sidewalk fix to cost city $1.1M Daytona Beach approves $1.1 million contract to fix Mosaic neighborhood sidewalks.
Several sidewalks in the Daytona Beach neighborhood of Mosaic have slimy, algaecovered sidewalks from poor drainage. Photo by Sierra Williams
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Repairs to sidewalks in the Mosaic neighborhood in Daytona Beach is going to cost taxpayers over $1.1 million. A construction bid of $1,194,636 to fix the sidewalks, driveway pavers and landscaping in the neighborhood was approved in a 7-0 vote by the Daytona Beach City Commission on April 15. The construction company is Hazen Construction. Residents in the Mosaic neighborhood have been dealing with faulty sidewalks for the last two years, causing poor drainage problems in multiple areas. The issue first came up in a July 2025 Daytona Beach City Commission meeting, where the assistant city manager said Daytona Beach is responsible for the repairs to some of the sections of sidewalk. Commissioner Stacy Cantu brought the issue to the city’s attention last summer after receiving complaints from Mosaic residents about the faulty sidewalks. During her research, Cantu found
memos where staff had signed off on inspections and former City Manager Jim Chisholm and current City Manager Deric Feacher had each reduced the maintenance bonds following the completion of Mosaic subdivision sidewalks. The city began the bid process to repair the sidewalks in October, and reviewed 10 different bids for the contract. Cantu said she was happy with how the process had turned out. “I’ve been vouching for this community, and I still will be
behind you guys watching it, but they did everything correct this time,” Cantu told Mosaic residents at the commission meeting. ICI Homes, the Mosaic neighborhood builder, will be responsible for the costs of the driveway grade modifications to all driveway aprons. According to Hazen’s bid breakdown, the driveway construction will cost ICI Homes $309,447. The remainder of the construction work — $757,116 for the sidewalks and $128,073 for the
landscaping — will be paid for by Daytona Beach. Public Works Director David Waller said it will take a few weeks for staff to execute the bid contract the commission approved, but once that is done the Hazen Construction will have 30 days to begin work. “The contractor is eager to start, so I don’t foresee any reason that they won’t start in a timely manner,” Waller said. “We expect the work to primarily be done over the summer.”
BACK TO BACK
Seabreeze beats Belleview to win district baseball title for second straight year. PAGE 7B
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 8A Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword.................. PAGE 2C Letters.......................PAGE 10A Public Notices............ PAGE 5C Schools....................... PAGE 3B Sports..........................PAGE 7B Tributes ...................... PAGE 4C Real Estate................. PAGE 4B
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Decision on Feacher delayed till evaluation Daytona Beach City Commission tables renewal of city manager contract. SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
A review of the Daytona Beach city manager’s employment contract was tabled pending his annual evaluation. City Manager Deric Feacher has been with the city since 2021 and his employment contract with Daytona Beach expires May 31. At the April 15 meeting, the Daytona Beach City Commission voted 4-3 to table renewing Feacher’s contract until after a performance evaluation was completed. Mayor Derrick Henry was the deciding vote. He said waiting for
the evaluation was the prudent thing to do. “Let’s wait and let’s give a firm and fair and comprehensive evaluation so that the manager knows where we stand,” Henry said. “Then he will also be able to have an opportunity to address those concerns moving forward.” The City Commission will discuss Feacher’s contract and again at the May 6 meeting. Commissioner Stacy Cantu was the one to motion for tabling the contract renewal until after evaluations were completed. “We still have six weeks before the contract ends,” she said, “but it doesn’t make sense to renew a contract without an evaluation. I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Feacher has been under fire from several members of the City Commission for months, after
allegations of city employees misusing taxpayer money through city-issued Purchasing Cards surfaced last fall. The Daytona Beach Fire Department alone, between 2021 and 2025, had questionable purchases in the thousands, according to an audit conducted by the City Auditor Abinet Belachew. Cantu motioned to fire Feacher at the April 1 meeting. That motion failed, but several commissioners said they wanted to complete the past-due evaluations of the city manager’s work. The evaluation process is being led by Commissioner Paula Reed. Reed was willing to vote on the contract at the April 13 meeting, but pointed out that it had been several years since the Commission had completed an evaluation for Feacher.
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