DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona Beach leaders are being asked if they plan to take action after an audit found the Fire Department misused city credit cards.
The audit is in direct response to a Channel 9 investigation into the city’s finances.
Channel 9 Volusia County Reporter Demie Johnson has been looking into how taxpayer dollars are being spent since November.
The audit found the Fire Department spent more than $50,000 on food and beverages on city credit cards.
The 51-page report breaks down how the Daytona Beach Fire Department spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on city-issued credit cards.
It said in “numerous instances, staff purchased individual meals and beverages from local restaurants…” … and that many charges had no itemized receipts to show what was purchased.
The city auditor’s report said many firefighters came to him with concerns about senior staff during his investigation. They also went to Commissioner Stacy Cantu.
“They do not have p cards, the rank in file, and they do not get money for food,” said Cantu.
“So, the firefighters who are there working on shift, staying at the fire house, the city’s not paying for them to eat?” Demie asked.
“No, and that’s pretty normal and he even told me it was pretty normal. They pay with their own money if they’re going to cook,” said Cantu.
The auditor found $500,000 in vehicle maintenance charges to city credit cards, so he looked into the department’s take-home car policy.
His investigation found staff driving vehicles with no city logos or tags. The report said, “without controls such as mileage logs or monitoring procedures, the city cannot determine whether these expenses are related to official business use or personal convenience.”
Attempts were made to get answers from the chief but his spokesperson said all questions needed to be directed to city hall.
The city manager was asked if he plans to take action, and he did not respond. Instead, a spokesperson from his office said:
<i>Firefighters do not receive city-paid meals as a standard practice. The food-related purchases identified in the audit were associated with specific operational or departmental purposes, such as emergency deployment activations, extended incidents, for assessors during promotional testing periods, and the department’s annual hosting of the Volusia County Fire Chiefs Association’s luncheon. Cakes are also purchased for official ceremonial events, including promotions, retirements and graduations.</i>
<i>Regarding shoe-related purchases, the city does not pay for regular duty shoes for firefighters. Dress shoe purchases are limited to specialty functions, such as honor guard members or Class-A form dress uniform shoes for command staff.</i>
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The city auditor will present these findings to commissioners Wednesday.
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