DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Daytona Beach commissioner is raising questions about the age of the police department’s fleet, including why some vehicles that are more than a decade old are still on the road.
The commissioner said the city should use police impact fees to replace vehicles, which are funds charged to new development to pay for services and equipment needed to support growth.
Channel 9 Volusia County Reporter Demie Johnson took those concerns to the city.
She asked what specifically the impact fees are being used for and if having these outdated vehicles on the road could be leading to higher maintenance costs and potential public safety concerns.
Commissioner Stacy Cantu shared a list of 84 vehicles still in service at the Daytona Beach Police Department, ranging from 2011 Crown Victorias and 2014 Chevy Impalas to 2020 Chevy Tahoes.
Cantu called this a glaring example of poor fleet management.
“It concerns me if a resident calls and the emergency line and these vehicles break down on the way I mean we could be liable for that,” said Cantu.
A city spokesperson told us the Crown Victorias are only being used as reserve vehicles, which means they’re not regularly on the road. But we saw a uniformed officer patrolling in one today.
“They should not be part of our fleet especially when they’ve been discontinued,” said Cantu.
The city also told us it’s spent $9.9 million dollars replacing 216 vehicles since 2022. But Cantu said that doesn’t explain why the old cars she’s referring to, which are no longer under warranty, are still part of the fleet, potentially costing taxpayers more in maintenance.
“I think we need to do something and it is budget time and why not police impact fees?” said Cantu.
We asked the city for a list of make, model, and VIN for all of the vehicles purchased for the police department since 2022. We also asked what the city is using the police impact fees for right now.
We are still waiting to hear back.
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