Daytona Beach CRA approves security contract increase, funds six‑month downtown police detail

The Daytona Beach Community Redevelopment Agency on Nov. 5 voted unanimously to approve the third amendment to the Innovative Policing Unarmed Uniform Security Guard Services agreement with First Coast Security Services Inc., increasing the contract ceiling from $125,000 to $134,000 and authorizing the mayor (as CRA chair) and the city clerk to execute the amendment.

The CRA also approved a separate motion to fund a six‑month pilot program that will add a randomized 20‑hour‑per‑week police detail to supplement the existing unarmed private security team downtown. The pilot is intended to test whether a regular sworn‑officer presence reduces calls for service and disorder; the cost for six months was estimated at roughly $34,000 to be paid from CRA funds.

Why it matters: downtown merchants and residents have reported fights, drug paraphernalia and other public‑safety concerns as the area’s development and visitor numbers increase. CRA funds are dedicated to redevelopment activities in defined districts; using those funds for enhanced public safety shifts CRA resources toward operational policing support for the downtown corridor.

Contract amendment: The resolution on the Nov. 5 agenda described the item as the third amendment to the city/CRA contract with First Coast Security Services Inc., increasing the not‑to‑exceed amount from $125,000 to $134,000. Commissioner Strickland moved the resolution, and Commissioner Reed seconded. The CRA voted 6‑0 to approve the amendment; the resolution authorizes the mayor (as CRA chair) and the city clerk to execute the change.

Police‑detail pilot: An attendee and multiple commissioners discussed a proposal for a randomized police detail that would put one sworn officer in the downtown CRA area for a total of 20 hours per week on randomized shifts over six months. The proposal said randomized hours are intended to make officer presence unpredictable and therefore more deterrent to disorder. The plan’s stated goals are reduced calls for service and improved merchant and visitor safety. The CRA voted 6‑0 to fund the six‑month pilot from CRA funds.

Public comment and coverage considerations: Resident John Nicholson told the CRA that the Beachside corridor (A1A, Boardwalk, Main Street) has seen shootings and killings and urged that the city use CRA funds there as well, saying, “We need security. We need the public to feel secure.” Nicholson also referenced earlier CRA spending on policing from roughly two decades ago.

Next steps and scope: Commissioners asked staff to analyze whether a similar approach should be applied to the Beachside CRA district and the Midtown area and to return with recommendations. Several commissioners said the downtown pilot is distinct from Beachside because of different uses and enforcement needs and that expanding the pilot would require analysis with the police chief and affected merchants.

Details from the meeting record: the transcript records 5,530 service calls on the Ridgewood corridor and identifies specific streets merchants cited as problem areas, including Beach Street, Palmetto, Bay Street, ISB, Magnolia and portions of Ridgewood and Fairview. The private security team was described as operating a small, focused area; the proposed police detail was intended to cover a broader set of streets during randomized shifts.

No legal or statutory citations beyond the resolution language were offered at the Nov. 5 meeting. The CRA meeting concluded after the votes and the body moved on to the regular city commission session.