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Daytona Beach commission authorizes injunction and occupancy ban for allegedly unsafe building at 501 N. Grand View
Summary
After staff and residents reported ignored stop-work orders and cut window panes in a multi-story building, the commission authorized the city attorney to file for an injunction and to seek a court order prohibiting occupancy until the structure is made safe.
City staff told the commission July 1 that stop-work orders had been repeatedly ignored at the former SunTrust building at 501 North Grand View Avenue and that work at the site may pose immediate life-safety risks.
Deputy City Manager Jeff Morris and the city attorney described unpermitted alterations and the lack of plans, permits or licensed contractors. Former Commissioner Tracy Remark and other residents showed photos and told the commission that crews had cut openings in large fixed panes of glass to insert air-conditioning units, a practice they said compromises the structural integrity of windows and creates a hazard during storm conditions.
"Thirty-one cutouts have been made so far," former Commissioner Remark told the commission, and she described instances in which the stop-work signage had been removed and work continued. Morris said tenants still occupy portions of the building and the city had received complaints from at least one tenancy that staff had been advised not to enter the structure.
City Attorney asked the commission for authority to file an injunction in circuit court to halt unpermitted construction activity and to request an injunction against occupancy until the building is safe under the Florida Building Code. Commissioners amended the motion to explicitly include seeking a court order prohibiting occupancy and voted to authorize staff to proceed. The motion carried by voice vote (7-0).
The city attorney said litigation would be handled in-house and that costs would be modest, and staff noted that additional remedies (expedited code enforcement or emergency condemnation under the International Property Maintenance Code) remained available depending on the facts developed by inspectors.
What happens next: staff will prepare and file the injunction seeking to enjoin unpermitted work and occupancy as necessary; the city will pursue additional code-enforcement or condemnation steps if warranted by building-division findings.
The commission's action aimed to gain faster court authority than the ordinary code-enforcement timeline, citing potential risks to occupants and the public during hurricane season.
