DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Documents show Daytona Beach spent money on murals before fixing code violations at its marina. A resident is now planning to take legal action against the city after he fell face-first while tripping on a sidewalk there.
Gordon Jump has stitches in his forehead, a bruised face, and a sling on his arm after he took a tumble on a sidewalk at the Halifax Harbor Marina.
“We were just chit-chatting and going down, and suddenly I hit this split in the concrete,” said Jump.
His wife, Kim, said over the years, they’ve watched wheelchairs get stuck and dozens of people fall. The city painted yellow lines on the uneven surfaces but never invested in a permanent fix until now.
“It’s like they don’t even care, and I even spoke at a commission meeting, and the last thing I said was the people here want safety and security,” said Jump.
The lack of maintenance at the city-owned marina was also brought up by Commissioner Stacy Cantu during a December meeting.
“We own this; these are code violations,” said Cantu.
She showed photos of holes in the bathroom walls, busted lights, fire extinguisher boxes with no glass or doors, and rotting wood on buildings.
“Why would we pay to have a mural done when the wood is rotten?” asked Cantu.
Documents we obtained show the city paid $15,400 to have two murals painted at the marina in 2024 and 2025. The money came from the business enterprise fund, which can be used for capital projects such as upgrading infrastructure, buildings, and facilities. Sidewalks are also considered a capital project.
Channel 9 has received a copy of a settlement the city paid out for another trip-and-fall incident on the marina sidewalks in 2023.
The city said the sidewalk replacement is being paid for through the public works fund. We asked how much the project costs in total and are still waiting to hear back.
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