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Daytona Beachside board weighs private security, police and barrier purchase as safety measures
Summary
Board heard staff quotes for private patrol options (golf cart $135,000/yr; vehicle $148,000/yr), discussed a dedicated police option (cost pending) and reviewed police requests to buy three deployable vehicle-barrier trailers (total $300,000) with $80,000 allocated from the Main Street CRA.
At its Nov. 12 meeting, the Beachside Redevelopment Board reviewed security options for the city’s beachside corridor and heard staff estimates for private patrols while the police department asked for funding help to buy deployable vehicle barriers.
Angela Armstrong, project manager for Main Street and the South Atlantic Community Redevelopment Area, told the board First Coast Security provided two vendor quotes: a golf-cart patrol priced at $135,000 annually (Monday–Saturday, 16 hours per day) and a vehicle-based patrol at $148,000 annually. “If we decide to go with a golf cart, it’s 135,000 annually,” Armstrong said. She added staff is still collecting a cost estimate for a dedicated police officer for comparative purposes.
Board members debated the patrol route and the patrol type. Some members argued for focusing patrols on the A1A/boardwalk corridor and boardwalk-only routes; others said broader coverage may be needed to prevent displacement of problems into adjacent streets. One board member who identified themselves as a security company operator said the police would be preferable despite higher cost because officers have arrest authority.
Armstrong also reported a police request to purchase three trailers with deployable vehicle barriers that can be used to close streets during events. She said the total price for the three barrier trailers is $300,000 and that the Main Street CRA has allocated $80,000 toward the purchase; the equipment would be shared across the city’s CRAs. “The price for 3 trailers with barriers is $300,000, and we have allocated 80,000 from the Main Street CRA to buy those barriers,” Armstrong said.
Members asked staff to obtain a clear cost comparison of private security versus a dedicated police option before a formal policy decision, and requested details on proposed patrol routes and an explanation of how private security would coordinate with Daytona Beach Police Department dispatch during events. Armstrong said she will share the police estimate with the board and the commissioners when available.
Next steps: staff will provide police-cost estimates for comparison and additional details on patrol routing; the CRA’s proposed $80,000 contribution toward vehicle barriers was described by staff as already allocated and will be part of further discussions about procurement and sharing across CRAs.
