- June 4, 2026
A debate over ethics, nonprofit funding and potential conflicts of interest led to a split vote Wednesday as the Daytona Beach City Commission considered a proposal that would restrict commissioners from sponsoring donations to organizations in which they hold membership.
The discussion unfolded during consideration of mayoral zone support fund allocations, when Commissioner Stacy Cantu questioned whether anyone connected to the dais belonged to organizations scheduled to receive funding.
Commissioner Paula Reed acknowledged she was a member of the Links Foundation, while City Manager Deric Feacher disclosed that he belonged to Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. The discussion prompted Cantu to raise concerns about whether elected officials should be permitted to recommend city funding for organizations in which they hold membership.
Cantu then proposed an ordinance that would prohibit commissioners from recommending city donations to organizations of which they are members.
“I would like to make a motion that we propose an ordinance prohibiting donations to any group of which any commissioner is a member of,” Cantu said.
City Attorney Ben Gross told commissioners he would need to conduct additional research regarding potential ethics implications under Florida law, though he later clarified that the commission could legally adopt such an ordinance if it chose to do so.
The proposal quickly sparked a debate between Cantu and Reed over whether membership in a nonprofit organization constitutes a conflict of interest.
“We have given funds to the Links Foundation for years,” Reed said, explaining that donations are routed through the national foundation before supporting local programs.
When Cantu asked whether Reed paid dues to the organization and how much those dues were, Reed replied, “Four hundred and some odd dollars a year.”
Cantu maintained that membership alone creates at least the appearance of a conflict.
“I don't think anyone should be giving money to their organization that they are a member of,” she said.
Reed strongly disagreed.
“I don't think any organization in Daytona Beach that is supporting our citizens, made up of citizens, should suffer that the city is not willing to give them funding so they continue to provide the services they provide,” Reed said.
Vice Mayor Dannette Henry repeatedly sought clarification from Cantu regarding exactly where she believed the conflict existed.
“What do you believe the conflict of interest is?” Henry asked.
“If you're a member of this organization and you are giving money to your organization, that's a conflict to me,” Cantu responded.
Henry then questioned whether the same logic would apply to veterans organizations.
“So does that mean, like the veterans, you wouldn't give money to the veterans?” Henry asked.
Cantu responded that her involvement with veterans groups is different because she is not a veteran and does not consider herself a member of those organizations.
“Veterans is nonpartisan. I advocate for veterans, but I'm actually not a member. I'm not a veteran, but I advocate for veterans,” Cantu said. “I am auxiliary ... I don't pay dues.”
The discussion later shifted to whether some organizations receiving city funding were partisan in nature. Cantu said she had reviewed several of the organizations online and raised concerns about political activity.
“I looked at these organizations,” Cantu said. Referring to the Midtown Community Development Corporation, she added, “I saw lots of things up there on that Facebook page about voting.”
Reed disputed that characterization and defended MCDC.
“Actually, it's not partisan at all,” Reed said, noting that nonprofit organizations are prohibited from supporting political candidates.
After nearly 25 minutes of discussion, commissioners voted on whether to move forward with drafting the ordinance. The proposal failed in a 3-3 tie vote, with Commissioners Stacy Cantu, Quanita May and Monica Paris voting in favor, while Commissioners Paula Reed, Ken Strickland and Dannette Henry voted against it. Mayor Derrick Henry was absent from the meeting, leaving no tie-breaking vote and causing the measure to fail.
The commission then voted on the underlying mayoral zone support fund allocations. That vote also ended in a 3-3 deadlock, delaying approval of the donations until a future meeting.
Several commissioners noted the issue could return when the full seven-member commission is present, potentially setting up another debate over whether membership in a nonprofit organization should limit a commissioner's ability to recommend funding.
