DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona Beach Chief Building Official Glen Urquhart resigned this week amid an ongoing state audit of the building permits and licensing division.
The move follows a tense City Commission meeting on Wednesday, where officials called for the city manager to be fired.
We told you in November of last year that the city was forced to face a state legislative audit committee for failing to spend down excess permit and license fees, which grew from $ 5 million in 2020 to over $ 11 million by 2023.
That same week, we began our own investigation into the city’s finances. We found thousands of dollars spent on city credit cards at restaurants, hotels and department stores.
That work caught the attention of state leaders, who in December voted to audit the city. Senator Tom Wright told us back then that credit card spending, car allowances, and the city’s building department would all be major focuses of that audit.
Wright specifically raised concerns that permitting and licensing funds were inappropriately used to purchase several trucks.
“Some of the vehicles that are being purchased, some of the money that is being spent. A comment was made at the last meeting that the difference between an f150 and an f250 was negligible. It’s a 27 percent increase between those two vehicles and they bought 11 of them,” said Wright in December 2025.
In January, the city settled a $2 million lawsuit with its Latitude Margaritaville community because the developer was overcharged by the permitting and licensing department.
The city is now in the process of rebating and reducing fees to pay back developers and taxpayers. The state audit focuses on the building department, which saw its excess permit and license fees grow from $5 million in 2020 to more than $11 million by 2023.
State leaders had issued warnings for several years regarding the city’s failure to spend down those funds before an investigation into city finances triggered the current audit.
Urquhart detailed his reasons for leaving in a formal resignation letter, noting that he had attempted to manage the department’s responsibilities during a period of significant local development. “I have worked diligently to implement improvements within the building permits and licensing division to meet the demands of growth,” Urquhart said.
Urquhart noted that internal friction and pressure made it impossible for him to remain in the position.
He specifically cited micromanagement and the impact the job had on his personal life.
“Due to ongoing concerns regarding workplace conditions, including unnecessary pressure, unreasonable requests, extreme micromanaging and personal attacks affecting both my professional integrity and my family, I have determined I can no longer continue in this role,” Urquhart said.
The current state audit of the building department was initiated following an investigation into the city’s general finances.
In addition to the audit, the city has faced legal challenges regarding its permit processes.
The city recently settled at least one lawsuit with a developer who was overcharged by the building permits and licensing department.
Channel 9 is gathering more information and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.
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