Chase Academy, a nonprofit special education school serving autistic and neurodivergent children and young adults in South Daytona, is staring down a summer that no one planned for. School leaders say their landlord has declined to renew the lease on the longtime campus, leaving about 73 students and roughly 30 staff members scrambling for answers. The owner has reportedly agreed to let them stay through mid-June so the current school year can wrap up, but administrators warn that a sudden move could blow up the budget and disrupt critical services.
According to ClickOrlando, Chase Academy has occupied a storefront in South Daytona Plaza for more than 15 years and has been planning to expand where it is. A new owner, Pinnacle Leasing and Management Group, took over the plaza about two years ago and chose not to renew the school’s lease, the outlet reports. WKMG notes the landlord allowed the school to stay through mid-June but did not respond to News 6’s requests for comment.
Founder Says Forced Move Could Break The Bank
“We have just sunk tens of thousands of dollars into making this facility what it looks like today and we wouldn’t willingly leave it,” founder Miriam Lundell told ClickOrlando. Lundell said the school had been saving and planning for an expansion, not an emergency relocation, and that the new, out-of-state ownership may not fully grasp how embedded the school is in Volusia County. She added that building out a new facility, from sensory rooms to safety modifications, would cost far more than the expansion budget the school had in mind.
Small School, Big Footprint
The Chase Academy website describes the program as a nonprofit K–12 school focused on academics and independent living skills for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The site lists its South Daytona campus at 2400 S. Ridgewood Ave. Public nonprofit records paint a tight financial picture: CauseIQ shows roughly $872,000 in revenue and similar expenses for 2024, leaving little room for a surprise real estate crisis.
That kind of margin makes Lundell’s warning easier to understand. Specialized schools do not just pick up and plug into the next empty storefront. They invest in built-out classrooms, therapy rooms, and safety features that match students’ sensory needs, and they train staff around that environment. Recreating all of that on a rushed timeline is not just expensive, it is risky for students who rely on routine and stability.
Why The Stakes Feel So High For Volusia Families
In Volusia County, families of autistic and neurodivergent students already juggle waitlists, evaluations, and limited options. Chase Academy has been one of the constants for more than 15 years. While public school districts do offer special education services, private programs like Chase often provide smaller settings tailored specifically to autism, and parents say that difference can be huge.
So when a school like this is suddenly at risk of losing its space, it is not just a landlord-tenant issue. It is one fewer option for families whose kids often do best with long-term continuity in services, staff, and environment.
School Races The Clock To Find A Lifeline
Lundell says the next few weeks will be a full-court press to find a new space that meets regulatory, accessibility, and program needs. On top of that, staff will be sketching out contingency schedules while the school leans on parents and donors to help bridge the financial gap that an unplanned move would create.
For now, the current campus can stay open through mid-June, so this school year is expected to finish on site. Families can reach the school through its contact page at tcaofvolusia.org or by phone. School leaders and county officials are continuing to explore options to keep services running into next year, but the situation remains very much in flux.
