- February 17, 2026
The wife of Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry was pulled over on Feb. 11 and Henry has claimed on a social media post that the stop was racially motivated.
Stephanie Pasley-Henry was turning left from Lincoln Street onto Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach when she was pulled over. The officers said the reason for the stop was because Pasley-Henry made an improper left turn onto Bethune Boulevard and rolled over the white line before stopping.
Two Daytona Beach police officers initiated the stop and a Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputy later joined the scene.
Derrick Henry wrote in a Facebook post on Feb. 12 that he was on the phone with his wife during the entire stop, though he said she did not reveal who her husband was to the officers.
While the officers were professional and courteous, he wrote, Henry called it a “frivolous stop” that escalated to a sobriety test without reason. Having three officers respond to the stop felt “excessive,” Henry wrote.
For many in the Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard area, he wrote, this is routine.
“Over policing in Black and Brown communities is real,” Henry wrote. “When multiple units respond to minor or questionable stops, it creates unnecessary tension and increases the risk of escalation.”
He called for an end to “over policing in Daytona Beach and beyond.”
“Our community deserves safety without intimidation,” Henry wrote.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young immediately addressed Henry’s post with a video post on the DBPD Facebook page on Feb. 13. As a black man who has dedicated his life to community service, Young said, he takes the matter seriously but takes “exception to the suggestion that this department engages in policing strategies rooted in race.”
“This is not who we are as a department, and it is not how I lead,” Young said. “Officers do not police based on race or ethnicity.”
The two DBPD officers were a training officer and his in-training partner, Young said. The Sheriff’s Office deputy, Young said, was on patrol nearby stopped to check on the officers, as many law enforcement officers regularly do when passing a traffic stop.
After reviewing the stop, Young said that no department policies were violated. Describing the incident as over-policing mischaracterizes standard training structure and common officer safety practices, he said.
“There is a saying in law enforcement that we are damned if we do and we're damned if we don't,” Young said. “When enforcement increases, it can be labeled as over policing. When enforcement decreases it can be labeled as neglect.”
That area has received many complaints from residents in that area asking for more patrols to help with loud music, speeding and parking violations, he said. In response to the complaints, Young directed an increase of enforcement efforts in the Mary McLeod Bethune area.
Young said DBPD officers are expected to professional and courteous in every encounter. His officers, acting within the bounds of the law and department policy, have his full support, he said.
“Our standards do not change based on zip code, status or familiarity,” Young said, “regardless of who you are or who you may know.”
