The Plaza Resort in Daytona Beach has sat empty for four years since hurricanes tore through its guest rooms, and on Tuesday a Volusia County special magistrate is set to weigh whether the hotel's owner should finally face serious fines for violations that still haven't been fixed. The historic property on A1A has become a fixture of neglect along the beachfront, with damaged walls, broken windows and an unsecured pool drawing county scrutiny.
According to WKMG ClickOrlando, the special magistrate was scheduled to take up the resort's unresolved code violations and the county's request for a fine on Tuesday. The property has sat vacant since back-to-back hurricanes in 2022 caused extensive damage, and owner Jonathan Eid has said saltwater infiltrated roughly 161 to 170 guest rooms during the storms.
The county's current list of problems is long: damaged exterior walls and roofing, broken windows, exposed wiring, damaged gates and handrails, and a pool that's gone unmaintained and unsecured. Volusia County says those violations remain unresolved and is now asking the special magistrate to impose a fine, having already declared the Plaza Resort officially non-compliant over the code issues and public health and safety concerns.
Pool Fine Already Ticking, Could Double
Separate from Tuesday's hearing, the City of Daytona Beach is already fining Eid $500 per day until the resort's pool is repaired, the station's report notes. That daily fine could climb to $1,000 if the remaining violations aren't addressed by October.
Eid took control of the more-than-100-year-old resort in 2021 and serves as president of its condominium association, per the same account. The city also says the property is approximately $35,000 behind on its property taxes, adding financial pressure on top of the mounting code fines.
Florida law gives local enforcement boards real teeth in cases like this. Under Florida Statute Section 162.09, an enforcement board may order a violator to pay a specified fine for each day a violation continues past its compliance deadline. The law generally caps fines at $250 per day for a first violation or $500 per day for a repeat violation, though qualifying counties and cities can authorize special magistrates to impose steeper penalties, including up to $1,000 per day for a first violation or $5,000 per day for a repeat one. An unpaid fine can keep accruing until the property comes into compliance and may ultimately become a lien against it.
Beach Ramp Shut Down for Structural Repairs
The fallout from the resort's condition extends beyond its walls. The Seabreeze Boulevard beach approach ramp, which runs through a tunnel beneath the hotel, was temporarily closed after safety concerns were raised, and it remains shut to both vehicles and pedestrians while structural repairs are carried out, according to the Observer Local News. Volusia County has said the ramp won't reopen until Daytona Beach determines the structure is safe for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Engineering plans tied to the fix call for roughly 268 cubic feet of partial-depth overhead concrete slab repairs and more than 546 cubic feet of partial- or full-depth concrete beam repairs, the outlet reported. A replacement permit for the tunnel work was submitted and approved Aug. 14 and issued three days later.
Nearby business owners and unit owners say little has been done to repair the resort itself, a frustration echoed in WKMG ClickOrlando's reporting. For a stretch of coastline that depends on foot traffic and curb appeal, a shuttered beach ramp and a crumbling hotel facade sitting side by side have become a visible symbol of how long the rebuild has dragged on.
