Describing becoming the city manager of Daytona Beach as his “dream job,” Deric C. Feacher is excited to mark serving as the city’s top administrator for 100 days. “My goal during my first 100 days was to Accelerate Daytona Beach,” he said. Balancing more than 175 community speaking engagements and meetings while getting to know his staff, which he refers to as his teammates, Feacher has already implemented initiatives that were part of his short-term action plan.
“From top to bottom, I am working with my teammates to identify ways we can be more flexible, adaptable and innovative while keeping an eye on the end user – the residents, business owners, other municipalities and government organizations and visitors to the city,” said Feacher. “My goal is to remove bureaucratic barriers and find ways to get to ‘yes.’ We are committed to making Daytona Beach the destination of choice,” he added.
Initiatives underway include an expansion of the facade grant program in the Midtown Redevelopment Area and a two-year moratorium on building permit fees in the city’s core to encourage private investment. His vision is to also build better relationships with the six colleges and universities located in Daytona Beach, expand the city’s youth and senior programming at facilities, work to transform older neighborhoods through beautification and redevelopment and ask visitors to respect our city. “The success of Daytona Beach is tied to the success of its citizens, students and business owners,” added Feacher.
In November, there will be walking tours in select neighborhoods to help identify areas where businesses can grow, seek better rezoning for greater use of properties, locate code issues and discuss how the city can best position itself as a destination of choice. The tours will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 3, Nov. 10 and Nov. 18.
At the end of January, a strategic planning session will take place with commissioners to further formulate short- and long-term priorities. In 2022, an Efficiency Committee will be created with volunteer citizens serving at the request of Feacher. The goal of the committee will be to evaluate and explore new revenue streams, analyze the overall efficiency of city departments and create better opportunities for transparency. A new mobile City Hall will also hit the streets, bringing key government services into the community and closer to residents and businesses.
Read the City Manager's First 100 Days Update