Daytona Beach City Manager Offers Upbeat Message at Chamber Event

City manager is a tough job and having to get up early and speak to a group of business owners taking their first sips of morning coffee can be a challenge. But Daytona Beach City Manager Deric Feacher pulled it off with enthusiasm and energy at the September Eggs & Issues breakfast of the Daytona Regional Chamber.

“Truly I am honored that I have to serve the greatest community in the country,” Feacher said. “We are creating our community as a destination.”

Feacher, who has been the city’s top administrator since June 2021, kicked off his presentation talking about new branding efforts for Daytona Beach.

“We are trying our best to brand our community,” he said. “It really is more than branding our logos.”

Feacher said the goal is to make Daytona Beach a destination not just for tourists and visitors but for people looking for a place to live and succeed.

“This is a destination for you to thrive,” he said.

Feacher showed a list of issues that needed attention when he was hired compiled in part by the editorial board at the Daytona Beach News-Journal. The list included strengthening relationships with other cities and jurisdictions, creating a strategy for development of the city’s Midtown area, guiding changes on beachside, keeping an eye on the city’s western boundary, finding the right people for the right job, improving community engagement and removing bureaucratic barriers to development.

“We’ve got a strategy for Midtown,” Feacher said, adding that the city owns several lots in the area and wants to see them revert to private ownership for residential and business development purposes.

“We need to improve infrastructure and get businesses to buy into changing that community,” he said.

Overall, Feacher said the city is always looking for more commercial development to diversify the tax base and increase economic growth “but it has to be quality.”

Another issue Feacher touched on in terms of community engagement was encouraging city staff who are responsible for approving plans to go out to the areas and see firsthand what residents and businesses are dealing with.

“Our goal is to try to find a way for people to make a lot of money,” he said. “But also for small businesses to thrive.”

Feacher highlighted how commercial development is important for the city’s financial future, saying while property taxes generate nearly $44 million annually, the city’s police budget is more than $56 million a year.

“It’s important for new commercial development,” he said. “Many of us are paying more for our cell phones than what we pay in taxes for the city in which we live.”

Feacher also noted the latest population estimate from the city is 80,940 residents and highlighted several accolades the city has received from national ranking organizations, including being the fourth most affordable city in Florida, the seventh best place to live in Florida, the eight-fastest growing place in the United States and the ninth safest place to live in the United States.