Daytona Beach’s Plaza Resort is back in the spotlight, and questions are mounting about when the long-vacant landmark will see real progress.
The historic property has sat empty since the 2022 hurricanes, and the city is now holding the building’s owner directly responsible for addressing a growing list of violations.
Property owner Jonathan Abraham Eid spoke publicly on Tuesday about the resort’s future. Eid took over the historic property in 2021.
In August, the building was declared noncompliant due to code violations and health and safety concerns. He says significant exterior work has been completed, but other exterior projects and interior progress is on hold while his team waits on engineers.
“Now it’s up for the engineering to get back to us at this current stage and tell us, hey, we’re going to be able to finish it within three weeks, a month, a month and a half, and we’re waiting for that,” Eid said.
Some permits have been pulled, but many more are still needed to bring the building into compliance. Eid says there is still no definitive construction plan in place. Special Magistrate David Vukelja made clear he has a personal stake in seeing the project move forward.
“I understand this is a big project. I understand it’s involved. You don’t need to bother me with the minutia, but I’m responsible for getting it done. And this is a very important property to the city of Daytona Beach,” Vukelja said.
Eid had faced hundreds of dollars a day in fines. No new fines were issued Tuesday. The Plaza operates as a condo-hotel, with more than 600 unit owners — many from out of town — caught in financial limbo. They say they have paid thousands of dollars over years of stalled work, yet still cannot access their own units.
Dennis Warren is one of those owners. He says the situation has gone on far too long.
“We’ve been waiting four years that the building has been shut down. He has received over $20 million to fix that place and has had it — we don’t know where that is,” Warren said.
Warren says owners continue paying monthly dues out of fear they could lose their units if they stop.
“He is getting $30,000 a month from us owners on assessments we have to pay while we try to get some sort of accountability — someone to help us,” Warren said.
The next city hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8. The magistrate says he wants to see permits and a concrete construction plan presented at that time.
The Seabreeze Boulevard beach access point — closed after the building above it was deemed unsafe — is also currently under repair. The city says work is making steady progress, but no completion date has been set.