Daytona Beach City Manager Saved By The Delay
- Charles I. Guarria
- Apr 18
- 4 min read
The review of Daytona Beach City Manager Deric C. Feacher's job performance that could lead to another three-year term beginning June 1, did not happen during the City Commission’s April 15 meeting as scheduled.
The stumbling block was that only one City Commissioner, Stacy Cantu, had put the city manager’s review in writing. This despite the City Manager Employment Agreement stating that the Commissioners are required to do so.
“I would like to ask for that (the city manager’s review) be tabled until we do an evaluation,” Ms. Cantu stated during the Commission’s April 15 City Hall meeting. “I know I turned mine in on Monday, but how can you renew a contract without an evaluation?”
Writing a review isn’t the only responsibility the City Commission has let slip when it comes to Mr. Feacher.
Per the City Manager Employment Agreement: “Each year, prior to March 1, the City Commission will review the Employee's performance. The annual performance evaluation will include the preparation of a written evaluation by each City Commissioner.”
Did you read that date? Yes, March 1. They are now going to review Mr. Feacher during the May 6 Commission meeting.
The lackadaisical nature of an employee’s review doesn’t end there for Daytona’s elected officials.
Mr. Feacher's last annual review was in 2024, and it was for his 2022-2023 job performance.
Commissioner Moncia Paris made mention of this during the commission’s April 1 meeting. “Mayor Henry, in regards to the evaluation, the last one that was due was for 2022 to 2023. I don't know if anyone else submitted it, but I know I did. We're already on another year, which would be from ‘24 to ‘25. So, we're behind two evaluations.”
Let’s count the ways the various Commissioners have dropped the ball on the matter of reviewing Mr. Feacher:
1. Skipped last year’s evaluation.
2. All but one haven’t written an evaluation for this year by the due date.
3. They will be two months late if they complete the review in May.
Is that good government?
Once again, we see how the rules aren’t for elected officials; they are only for the people they supposedly answer to.
Who was in charge of getting the reviews done this year? That would be Commissioner Paul R. Reed. Mayor Derrick Henry appointed her to the task when Commissioner Quanita May couldn’t fulfill the responsibility because she had a family emergency that might have led to her flying out of state.
I do hope all is okay with Ms. May’s family, but she has had since January to organize the Commission’s completion of the review. Flying out for a family emergency in April seems like a less-than-great excuse.
Funny how the Commissioners find time for fairs, local markets, ribbon cuttings and the like, but review an employee? Maybe if there were a ribbon-cutting with some press on hand when they delivered their reviews to human resources, they would get them done on time.
But I digress.
Ms. Reed doesn’t think they need to write reviews. She’s in charge of the review process, the agreement states that they have to, but she said it’s a-okay with her if they don’t.
“I think we can say what we think he's done,” Ms. Reed commented during the April 15 meeting. “I think he's given us an excellent report on his accomplishments and from that we can render a decision.”
See, the rules don’t apply if they don’t think so.
It does make me wonder if any of the Commissioners have read the City Manager Employment Agreement.
One resident who spoke on the matter, John Counts, is running for the Zone 5 commission seat held by Dannette Henry. He would clearly be voting against re-upping Mr. Feacher.
“Evidently from the evidence that's been presented thus far, I think it's beyond a doubt that the city manager, and perhaps several before, have been negligent in their duties,” Mr. Counts began during the April 1 City Commission meeting.
Mr. Counts looked directly towards Mr. Feacher and made reference to the city manager’s $291,395 annual salary, commenting that “either by design or by accident,” the city manager “fell on the gravy train…the gravy train ends now and you're on the caboose. Sorry for that.”
However, it didn’t end on April 1 as Ms. Cantu’s motion to terminate Mr. Feacher was denied 5-2, with Ms. May being the other person to vote for his dismissal.
As explained above, it didn’t end at the April 15 meeting either. As the motion to table the decision to the May 6 meeting carried 4-3.
Those favoring a May Commissioner’s review, accompanied by each Commissioner writing one: Mayor Derrick Henry (the mayor stated that he is working on his review), Ms. Cantu, Ms. Paris and Ms. May.
Those who wanted to review Mr. Feacher on April 15 without owning up to their responsibility of writing one: Commissioner Dannette Henry, Commissioner Ken Strickland, Ms. Reed.
“Waste of time,” Gabe Wozniak, a Libertarian running for Florida Senate District 8, commented on the evening's events.
Now, the drama moves to act three, May 6, maybe. It depends on whether the commissioners decided to put their thoughts in writing. Ya know, follow the rules.
Charles I. Guarria is an author, reporter and host based in the state of Florida, USA, covering any topic, anywhere in the world. His career began in 2009. Mr. Guarria is a three-time winner of Emerald Group Publishing’s Highly Commended Award and host of The Opinion Guy Fun Friendly Informative.
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Photo Credit: Daytona Tortugas
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