Daytona Beach pressures Plaza Resort owners to make repairs after yearslong closure

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The future of one of Daytona Beach's most recognizable oceanfront hotels remains uncertain as city officials pressure the owners of the long-closed Plaza Resort to address code violations and make repairs needed to stabilize the property.

The resort has been closed since it was damaged by a hurricane in 2022. City officials say progress has been made on some exterior problems, but significant work remains.

City pushes owners to address violations

The backstory:

The Plaza Resort's owners have faced fines over code violations as the property has remained vacant for years.

The owners say they have addressed several exterior issues, including broken windows, damaged walls and peeling paint. However, repairs are still needed to the roof and other parts of the building to ensure the structure remains secure.

"This is a very important property to the city of Daytona Beach, and as a lifelong resident, I know it as well as anybody else," said Daytona Beach Special Magistrate David Vukelja.

Owners say they are working on repairs

A representative for the property told the city that engineers are working on plans needed to move forward with additional repairs.

"We are working very hard to get the engineers to get those details and pull the permits, and we will do our best to get them done," the representative said.

City officials, however, made clear that obtaining permits will not be enough. They want a firm schedule showing when construction will begin and when repairs will be completed.

"The next question you're going to hear from me is, when's construction starting? When is it going to be done?" the special magistrate said.

Break-ins bring renewed attention to property

The city's scrutiny comes weeks after 13 people — two adults and 11 juveniles — were arrested after allegedly breaking into the vacant resort to record videos for TikTok.

The incident brought renewed attention to the condition and security of the property as the city works to have the remaining violations corrected.

Another hearing scheduled for December

The Plaza Resort case is expected to return before the special magistrate on Dec. 8.

At that hearing, officials plan to work toward establishing what they consider a reasonable construction timeline and holding the owners to it.

Until then, the timeline for completing repairs — and the long-term future of the oceanfront resort — remains unclear.