Daytona Beach board reviews continuing nuisance at Jay’s Food Store; security, windows and unpaid fine cited

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The City of Daytona Beach’s Nuisance Abatement Board on Jan. 8 heard police testimony and documentary evidence that Jay’s Food Store (doing business as Family Food), at 600 North Ridgewood Avenue, continues to experience criminal activity and to fall short of several requirements the board imposed in a February 2024 order.

City and police presenters told the board they repeatedly found people previously trespassed from the property on-site, made multiple arrests for drug possession and paraphernalia in the store’s parking lot, and found store practices that did not meet the board’s ordered conditions — specifically the requirement for a reputable security guard on duty during all open business hours and an unobstructed view through store windows. Sergeant Timothy Balarus of the Daytona Beach Police Department said the hearing was a follow-up to earlier nuisance orders and that the city was documenting ongoing noncompliance.

Why this matters: The board’s 2024 order required security staffing, camera upgrades with real‑time access, and unobstructed windows among other measures intended to curb drug sales, trespassing and other conduct the city links to a persistent nuisance at the site. Board members heard police say some technical requirements (camera upgrades and VC3 connection) were completed, but that security staffing and the window visibility rule remained problem areas, and the city says an imposed $5,000 investigative fee has not been paid.

Police recap and evidence

Sergeant Balarus and other Daytona Beach officers reviewed prior incidents dating to 2023 that the city says formed the basis for earlier findings: the presentation listed multiple dates in 2023 when officers recorded suspected on‑site cocaine sales and other criminal activity. Sergeant Balarus told…