Daytona Beach Fire Dept Put $700,000 On City Cards As State Prosecutors DEMAND The Records

More than $500,000 in vehicle repairs. Over $100,000 in uniforms. More than $50,000 in restaurant food and another $50,000 in iPhone accessories. More than fifteen televisions from Best Buy in four days. All on Daytona Beach fire department credit cards between 2021 and 2025, according to the city's own auditor.

A commissioner noticed odd charges on a marina contract. The city's auditor pulled five years of fire department card spending. Within weeks, a state prosecutor was taking sworn statements, city leaders were turning over their phones, and the Florida Auditor General was working inside City Hall. We follow one question: how does a credit card audit turn into a criminal investigation?

Nobody in this story has been charged with a crime. The fire chief testified as a witness, and no findings have been announced about any city official. The city manager says the spending was appropriate, and the commission extended his contract.

SOURCES City of Daytona Beach, Office of the City Auditor, Fire Department P-Card Audit (March 27, 2026) City of Daytona Beach Commission meetings, April 1 and May 6, 2026 (public record) Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Committee (December 8, 2025) Broadcast excerpts: WFTV Channel 9, WESH 2 News, FOX 35 Orlando. Used for news commentary and criticism.

Jump to a chapter

1. 0:00 Fifteen TVs in three days
2. 0:36 One question
3. 1:35 Where it started
4. 2:42 The first audit
5. 3:53 The fire department report
6. 5:05 What else was on the cards
7. 5:52 What the auditor did not say
8. 6:52 The city manager's answer
9. 7:46 The first vote
10. 9:14 The criminal investigation
11. 10:07 The contract vote
12. 10:51 Who left
13. 11:35 The state audit
14. 12:31 Where both sides stand
15. 13:24 What comes next

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