Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fire Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Magistrate orders alarm back within 30 days for JK Daytona hotel after prolonged fire‑system failures
Summary
A special magistrate found JK Daytona LLC in violation after fire alarm and sprinkler systems were inoperable since early 2023, ordering the alarm repaired within 30 days and full suppression work within six months, and imposing administrative fees and potential daily fines for noncompliance.
Steve De La Roche, the special magistrate for the City of Daytona Beach Shores, found hotel operator JK Daytona LLC in violation Wednesday after city inspectors and the fire marshal testified that the property’s fire alarm and sprinkler systems have been inoperative since January 2023.
The city’s presentation, introduced by city counsel Miss Herstein, said Lieutenant Norman Menards (fire marshal) documented multiple reinspections and third‑party testing showing both the alarm and sprinkler systems were not functioning. The city asked for an Order No. 7 giving six months to correct the violations, payment of administrative costs and a daily fine for continued noncompliance.
De La Roche said the alarm posed the most immediate risk and ordered the alarm system restored and fully operational within 30 days; if that deadline is missed the magistrate set a $200 per day fine for the alarm violation. The magistrate gave the property six months — until July 16, 2025 — to repair the fire‑suppression system and obtain final approved inspections. The order requires payment of an administrative fee of $162.89 within 30 days.
Lieutenant Menards testified that while the building is on Fire Watch a contracted security firm must patrol hourly, make door‑to‑door checks and call 911 if they detect a hazard. “They’re required to walk the grounds, every floor … to see if there’s any hazards,” Menards said, describing how staff and security are expected to alert guests in the absence of an alarm.
Respondent manager Shamila Mohammed told the magistrate that hurricane damage and subsequent renovation work contributed to the system failures and that the property had recently hired a security company and contractors to address corrections; she said the alarm vendor expected to have notification capability operational within "a couple of days." The magistrate’s order nonetheless sets the 30‑day and six‑month deadlines and potential fines to ensure compliance.
The order was entered from the bench; no formal vote was required. The magistrate noted that early completion would negate penalties and that the fines and timelines apply to the property owner, not the on‑site manager.
