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Daytona Beach commissioners weigh audits and policy fixes after P‑card disclosures and website data breach
Summary
A week of public scrutiny over city P‑card spending and a records posting that exposed some Social Security numbers prompted commissioners to commission legal review, add audits to the auditor’s worklist and task staff with policy updates and redaction training ahead of Dec. 8 re‑posting of records.
A heated commission meeting Nov. 19 centered on oversight of city purchasing cards after a bulk posting of public‑records receipts and supporting documents revealed personal data and prompted calls for immediate audits.
The dispute grew after staff placed a large set of purchasing card statements and supporting documentation online in response to public records requests. Chief Information Officer Hassan Razekah said staff took the material down after discovering Social Security numbers in some attachments and set a Dec. 8 target to re‑post fully redacted records after an internal review. Razekah said the IT office is coordinating a cross‑department redaction and training program so similar PII exposures do not recur.
Commissioners and residents pressed for stronger oversight. Commissioner Stacy Cantu and others cited missing receipts and procurement practices that dated to older policies. City Auditor Ben BellaChu (speaker identified in the record) told commissioners the auditor has authority to audit city expenditures and recommended placing requests on his list; the commission voted to add P‑card review and several other audits to the auditor’s workplan, but declined to make the P‑card review the top emergency priority at this meeting.
Legal and contract issues dominated the ensuing discussion. City Attorney (speaker 14) recommended producing a memorandum first to clarify what the city’s current grant and contract documents permit — particularly whether the city has explicit audit rights for funds provided to outside organizations such as First Step Shelter. Commissioners asked whether the city can require future contracts to include audit and reporting conditions and whether county and other partner funds would complicate any review of jointly funded grants.
Mayor Derek l Henry urged staff to move deliberately, citing the need to balance transparency with accuracy and to avoid unintentionally harming staff or residents by rushing incomplete information into public circulation. Several residents said they support an audit to restore public confidence; others, including community groups, asked the commission to allow staff to complete the redaction work and to adopt updated policies before expanding audits.
What happens next: staff will complete a legal memorandum summarizing existing contractual audit rights and present proposed policy language on P‑cards, travel and records posting at the next regular meeting; the auditor’s office will add a P‑card review to its work plan (timing to be scheduled among other priorities). The city has committed to contacting any individuals whose confidential data was inadvertently posted and to providing identity‑protection guidance where required.
