Daytona Beach board orders 7-day closure, background checks and $5,000 payment for Jay’s Food Store

The Daytona Beach Nuisance Abatement Board voted Jan. 15 to close Jay’s Food Store, at 600 North Ridgewood Avenue, for seven days and to require background checks for all store employees and contracted security guards and payment of a previously ordered $5,000 assessment by Feb. 4, 2025.

The board’s action followed testimony from the store owner, the store’s counsel and the owner of a contracted security firm, and a sworn affidavit and compiled call log by Daytona Beach Police Department code liaison Sergeant Shauna Conley. “I put this list together by going through what's called our CAD system,” Sergeant Conley told the board, and said her review found “199 calls … originated from that property” between Feb. 2, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025; 27 of the calls were initiated by store employees or security and 15 of those 27 were trespass calls.

Why it matters: The board opened the continuation hearing on case 2024‑NAB‑41 after finding Jay’s Food Store a public nuisance in February 2024 and issuing an order that included requirements for security during business hours, unobstructed windows, crime‑prevention lighting, camera upgrades and registration with the police department’s trespass initiative. Board members said testimony and the police log showed recurring problems linked to activity on the property and that, in the board’s judgment, some requirements of the February 2024 order remained unmet.

What the hearing covered: Owner Raymond Sayed testified he had implemented many of the board’s prior instructions, had enrolled in the police trespass program and said he had spent roughly $70,000 on contracted security. He told the board he believed most trespass entries dated from older enforcement and that the store had cut its advertised hours after the prior order. The store’s counsel called witnesses on the owner’s behalf and argued the business had largely complied.

Daytona Beach police witnesses described a different picture. Sergeant Conley authenticated the CAD call log shared with the board and said police activity at the address included a mix of officer‑initiated patrols, citizen calls and calls initiated by store employees or security. Conley’s tally — 199 calls total, 27 initiated by the store or its security personnel and 15 trespass calls — was introduced into the record and accepted by the board.

Security company testimony: David McKnight, who identified himself as providing unarmed security services for the store, said his company issues uniforms and conducts post orders; he described using provisional authorization that allows temporary placement of newly certified officers while state background checks complete. The store owner and the security company both acknowledged instances where officers assigned to the site were later found to lack final state licensing or were unavailable (one officer sleeping in a vehicle, one sent home after an officer raised licensing concerns, and another who became ill). The owner said he closed the store temporarily when advised that a guard was not eligible to work and that the company replaced guards within about 45 minutes to an hour in those instances.

Board discussion and vote: Board members debated whether the store had “substantially complied” with the February 2024 order or remained in violation. Several members said record evidence and recurring incidents showed the owner had not done enough to prevent people who caused the nuisance from returning to the property. At the conclusion of deliberations the board voted to: (1) close Jay’s Food Store for seven days starting Jan. 27, 2025 and ending Feb. 2, 2025; (2) require background checks for all employees and contracted security guards working on the property; (3) require payment of the $5,000 assessment from the prior order no later than Feb. 4, 2025; and (4) keep the other terms of the board’s Feb. 2024 order in force during the board’s remaining jurisdiction. The motion was moved by board member Ruby and seconded by Kara Keefe; the roll call vote recorded Ruby, Jackson, Keefe, Fields and Rice as voting yes and Murphy as voting no; the motion carried.

What the order requires now and next steps: The board’s closure order is tailored to the existing Feb. 2024 finding and is limited by the board’s statutory one‑year jurisdiction; the board and city staff noted any continued problems after the jurisdictional period could be pursued through other means (including court proceedings). The board directed staff to prepare a written order reflecting the motion, with deadlines and language about converting unpaid assessments to liens if not paid by the deadline.

Public comment and owner’s response: Owner Raymond Sayed repeatedly told the panel he had complied with most elements of the earlier order and said he had taken steps such as registering for the trespass program and installing lighting; he disputed some factual points in police reports and said interactions with officers and inspectors had sometimes felt adversarial. City attorneys and police witnesses said the CAD log, arrests and calls showed persistent issues that justified the board’s additional sanctions.

What the vote means for neighbors and the store: The board framed the seven‑day closure and the background‑check requirement as a calibrated, time‑limited step to press the owner to meet the order’s conditions and to reduce police calls tied to the property. The board also left open the option of further enforcement actions if problems return after the board’s jurisdiction expires on the Feb. 2024 order.

Votes at a glance

- Case: 2024‑NAB‑41 (600 N. Ridgewood Ave., Jay’s Food Store; respondent: Gatlin Brothers of Daytona Beach LLC / owner Raymond Sayed) - Motion: Close business 7 days (Jan. 27–Feb. 2, 2025); require background checks for all employees and contracted security guards; payment of $5,000 previously ordered by Feb. 4, 2025; maintain remaining Feb. 2024 order provisions. - Mover: Board member Ruby - Seconder: Kara Keefe - Vote (roll call as recorded): Ruby — yes; Jackson — yes; Kara Keefe — yes; Murphy — no; Fields — yes; Rice — yes. Outcome: approved.

Ending: The board instructed city staff to draft and circulate the written order implementing the vote and to include language converting unpaid assessments to liens if not paid by the deadline; the owner and the city each reserved other remedies available after the board’s jurisdiction ends.