Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. has confessed — to getting a speeding ticket.
What made Avila’s Facebook confession a bit more newsworthy is the timing. It came about two weeks after another mayor, Derrick Henry of Daytona Beach, expressed concerns about his wife’s Feb. 11 traffic stop and citation, sparking debate over policing in Black communities and a strong defense from Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young over his officers’ actions.
In Deltona, Avila posted about his Feb. 12 speeding ticket, saying he wanted to recognize “the outstanding work our deputies do every single day,” and to reiterate that he’s accountable for his actions.
He shared body-cam footage of the stop, showing a deputy in an unmarked, black car explaining he stopped Avila for driving 51 mph in a 35 mph zone, then asking for his license, proof of insurance and registration. Avila complied, handing his documents over without complaint.
“Hi, how are you? Sorry,” Avila said to the deputy.
The deputy gave Avila a traffic citation. The mayor owed a balance of $256, records showed as of Feb. 23.
In his message, Avila urged residents to watch their speed and remember the city’s neighborhoods are full of people, kids and pets.
“Nobody and I mean nobody is above the law in our community,” Avila wrote. “Not even the guy who gets to cut ribbons and attend way too many meetings. If I’m speeding I’m getting pulled over. If I’m getting pulled over, I’m getting a ticket. And yes, I’ll be paying that ticket and learning my lesson right along with anyone else who’s ever had a ‘heavy foot’ moment.”
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood responded to Avila’s post, writing: “Speeding is the #1 complaint we hear in the City of Deltona, Florida and across Volusia County. I really appreciate the Mayor’s message here, his support for the deputies and his accountability.”
Daytona Beach mayor, police chief debate merits of stop
Neither Avila nor Chitwood commented on the Daytona Beach stop of Stephanie Henry, the mayor’s wife, but the post followed the hotly debated issue.
Derrick Henry said the stop was “frivolous,” and added that the Daytona Beach officer claimed his wife merged into the wrong lane when she turned left from Lincoln Street onto Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard.
“There is only one lane on Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard at that point, and it is impossible to make an improper left-hand turn from Lincoln onto Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard,” the mayor wrote on Facebook.
Young shared a video disputing that the city’s officers are “over-policing” Black and Brown communities, saying the two officers involved, including a trainee and a trainer, were professional and courteous.
“Our officers do not police based on race or ethnicity. We police behavior,” Young said.
He added that complaints from the neighborhood where the stop was conducted led to an increased police presence in that area.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Deltona mayor praises Volusia deputies after getting traffic ticket
Reporting by Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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