- September 9, 2026
Frustrated by crime rates, a worsening of blighted properties and feeling forgotten by city officials, a group of residents and business owners in Daytona's beachside want to split ways with the city.
The group, Daytona Beachside United, has started gathering petitions to gauge interest on whether to de-annex the beachside from Daytona Beach. Their hope if successful? Either become their own city, or annex into neighboring Ormond Beach.
"We deserve better," said Sonja Sailor, one of the residents who organized the initiative. "We just want to keep our beachside clean and safe for our residents. We want thriving businesses. We don't want no more neglect to the Boardwalk or beachside, and we want to have a quality of life. I don't think that's a lot to ask for from the city, and we figure if the city can't help us, then it's time for us to annex either into another community, or annex ourselves under a special act."
This plan, she said, comes after months of asking city leaders to address conditions on the beachside — which Sailor said include an uptick in the homeless population, drug use and lack of criminal enforcement actions.
"We figure that we've got to fight, or we're going to look like Portland, or California, or Philadelphia because it's already starting," Sailor said.
Louie Louizes, owner of Ocean Ave. Gallery, met Sailor at a city commission meeting and liked her idea to de-annex the beachside from Daytona and potentially become part of Ormond.
"Ormond Beach doesn't have people doing drugs on the sidewalks and stuff like that, and their roads are all nice and everything's clean," Louizes said. "The problem I have with the city is all they're doing is developing west on LPGA, and they forgot about the crown jewel, which almost made everything here Daytona Beach is the Boardwalk. We've been left in the dust."
He suggested the beachside keep its name — it could be known as "Daytona Beach in Ormond," he said.
Per state statues, de-annexations, or contractions, can be initiated by a municipality which could call for a voter referendum. For the residents on the beachside, it would require a legislative act by the state Legislature, which could be difficult to acquire without the city's consent.
How do Ormond officials feel about the idea? During the City Commission meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 25, the majority of officials expressed not being in favor of annexing Daytona's beachside.
"I'm quite flattered that residents and business owners in a neighboring city would want to be part of Ormond Beach, but I don't think you'll ever see Daytona Beach want to de-annex their beachside," City Commissioner Harold Briley said. "... I for one, would not be interested really in annexing that part of Daytona."
City Commissioner Travis Sargent, who represents Zone 2 (which includes the southern portion of Ormond's beachside) said he had received emails and phone calls from residents asking about what was going on following a WFTV report about Daytona Beachside United's proposal. In the news report, WFTV stated it has spoken with Mayor Jason Leslie, reporting he was "interested" in the idea and had passed it along to city staff.
"In the city of Ormond Beach, we are a city manager form of government," Sargent said. "It takes three people to direct staff ... I'm very sorry to the residents that this may have caused confusion for."
In response, Leslie said that a Daytona resident reached out and dropped some papers on his desk about annexing into the city.
"I didn't really even know what it was because I didn't know anything about it, and that was followed up by people from the media contacting me," Leslie said. "... there's no conspiracy behind it, and I wasn't trying to do something that was out of line. It was just me thanking the residents of Daytona Beach for thinking of us, of holding our city to a high standard, and thank you to everybody who makes this place a great place to live."
Sargent interrupted Leslie, questioning what direction was given to staff, leading to a brief back-and-forth argument before Leslie abruptly adjourned the meeting.
Louizes described Daytona Beach as a ship with a broken rudder.
The beachside is the economic engine of the city, he said, and business owners have been waiting for change for about 30 years.
"Ormond Beach is like Beverly Hills compared to how Daytona Beach looks, and we have way more money coming in from the tourists," Louizes said. "So where's all that money going?"
Daytona Beach has potential, Sailor said, but she doesn't feel like the city's leadership sees it.
"But the residents do, and I think the surrounding communities would too," Sailor said. "Plus, we don't want the problem to bleed into another surrounding community like Ormond or you know Daytona [Beach] Shores, which are dropping the name Daytona, so that should tell you enough there how bad it is."
Daytona Beachside United will soon create a website to show the conditions of their neighborhoods, Sailor said. Then, they'll look toward the legal actions the grassroots group needs to take.
"We're either going to annex to a neighboring community, or we're going to have to do it ourselves," Sailor said. "But either way, we're done with the city."
The Observer reached out to Mayor Derrick Henry and the City of Daytona Beach for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
