This story was updated on April 2 to include additional information.
DAYTONA BEACH — After a tense, three-hour conversation between city commissioners and the city’s internal auditor about thousands of dollars in purchases by the fire department that the auditor concluded were lacking documentation or violated city policy, something even more explosive happened at the April 1 City Commission meeting.
City Commissioner Stacy Cantu, who has been leveling complaints for two years about the city’s handling of its finances and purchases, called for the city manager to be terminated.
When her motion to end City Manager Deric Feacher’s employment with the city when his five-year contract expires May 31 came up for a vote, the only yes votes came from Cantu and City Commissioner Quanita May. The mayor and the four other commissioners all cast no votes.
Commissioners agreed to conduct an evaluation of Feacher, which hasn’t happened in a few years. But the city manager’s job appeared to be secure — at least for now — when the mayor gaveled the seven-hour-plus meeting to a close at 1:24 a.m.
Before Cantu called for the city government’s top official to be terminated for cause, she was fuming about the auditor finding that the fire department used city purchase cards to buy more than $50,000 worth of food and beverages and spent $500,000 for vehicle maintenance expenditures from 2021 through 2025.
“I don’t understand why no one is being held accountable,” Cantu said. “This is the taxpayers’ money, and we’re not holding anyone accountable.”
Shortly after saying that, Cantu called for Feacher’s ouster. She said she could give a list of reasons “a mile long” why Feacher’s contract shouldn’t be renewed next month.
“I’m done with this,” she said. “It keeps going on and on.”
Daytona Beach purchasing card, financial questions mount
The allegations against the way Daytona Beach handles its finances have been growing since the spring of 2024, when Feacher and top city staff suggested spending down excess permits and licensing fees by buying a $1 million mobile command unit for permits and licensing.
Shortly after that, Feacher advocated for spending $7.4 million to purchase and renovate a 63-year-old Beach Street building that had lingering asbestos issues.
State government officials urged the city to spend down the excess permits and license fees, which had grown to at least $11 million that was being carried from one fiscal year to the next.
As that money remained unspent at the end of last year, the state’s Joint Legislative Auditing Committee called Feacher, the mayor and other top city officials to Tallahassee to explain why the city was breaking state law and not using the money.
Now state auditors are conducting an exhaustive financial probe of the city that won’t wrap up for months.
On Sept. 1, new city Internal Auditor Abinet Belachew began working in a position that answers to city commissioners and not the city manager.
Last fall city commissioners asked Belachew to look into employee purchase card use. He released his audit report on the fire department’s purchase card use March 27, and he stood at the podium at the April 1 meeting from about 8:30 p.m. until midnight explaining that report and answering city commissioners’ questions.
One overarching theme in Belachew’s report was that he didn’t find proper documentation for many expenditures, which made it difficult or impossible to verify if some purchase card expenditures were a legitimate use of taxpayer dollars.
In some cases, he found violations of city policy on how money should be spent.
Daytona Beach fire chief comments on audit, disputes some findings
May asked if Fire Chief Dru Driscoll knew about all the spending in his department.
“I find it disturbing we have someone in charge of this department who’s not aware of this spending,” May charged.
Copies of about 30 receipts Belachew provided to a few reporters on April 2 are initialed “DD,” suggesting they were fire department purchases made or approved by Driscoll. The receipts are mainly for large food and beverage purchases in 2024 and 2025, everything from pizza to donuts to sandwiches to $114 worth of food from an Olive Garden restaurant.
Driscoll said Belachew’s report disparages firefighters who have nothing to do with purchases that are made by the administration.
Driscoll also said Belachew’s $50,000 tally for fire department food and beverage expenditures over a five-year period is about twice as large as it should be. Driscoll said he’s determined the total for his department is around $26,000.
Belachew responded at the April 1 meeting that he asked city staff only for fire department purchase card expenditures, and he based his report on what was provided to him.
In a written statement provided to the media April 2, Belachew noted that he provided the draft audit report to the city manager and fire chief on Feb. 20.
“If there were inaccuracies in the reported amounts or findings, they had ample opportunity to formally respond and provide corrections,” Belachew wrote in his statement. “I clearly indicated my willingness to revise the report if supported by evidence.”
The city manager’s response provided nearly 30 days later didn’t include any indication that any of the reported figures were incorrect, Belachew said.
Numbers aside, Belachew said the focus should be on “why is any amount of taxpayer funds being spent on food without clear policy, justification, or authorization?”
Driscoll said he would welcome a third party, such as a state auditor, checking behind Belachew’s audit of the Daytona Beach Fire Department.
Driscoll also said he’s concerned that city commissioners might be intervening in a formal investigation of a firefighter.
A few city commissioners said Feacher should be held accountable for some of the city’s current problems, but May said she wasn’t hearing anyone say Driscoll should be held accountable.
What residents, mayor said about Daytona financial problems, city manager
A few residents commented after Cantu called for Feacher’s ouster.
Daytona Beach resident Emily Nice said “this is a great time to make great changes.”
“We have the chance to improve our transparency and accountability,” Nice said. “This is unacceptable.”
Daytona resident John Counts urged city commissioners to vote yes on the motion to “sack the city manager.”
“I think it’s beyond a doubt the city manager and perhaps others have been negligent,” Counts said. “The gravy train ends now and you’re on the caboose. Whether he has his hands in it or not, he’s accountable.”
City Commissioner Dannette Henry said she’ll hold Feacher accountable, but she’ll also support him. She praised the improvements he helped bring to the Derbyshire neighborhood, and his track record of attending events in that area.
May said she has heard “strong concerns about the way the city is being run.” Cantu said she has as well.
“Moving forward from this night we have to find a way as a city and a commission to move forward that’s more professional and proficient,” Mayor Derrick Henry said.
Henry said he’s heard “a remarkable number of opinions” both critical of the city’s management over the past 6-12 months, and concerned that the city manager is “under persistent assault.” He told the city manager he needs to ensure all city departments are operating properly.
“I do believe that the citizens of Daytona Beach deserve some things that are better than they are now,” the mayor said. “We have some oversight issues that are problematic. But I’m not going to let anyone sell me on the idea that our city is in great decay.”
You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Attempt to sack Daytona city manager fails, puts him on shakier ground
Reporting by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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