Daytona Beach's City Auditor Resigns as State Investigation Into City Spending Continues

Daytona Beach's independent city auditor is stepping down after just over a year on the job, submitting his resignation as state investigators continue digging into questionable spending across multiple city departments.

Abinet Belachew, appointed to the newly created city auditor role in September 2025, submitted his formal resignation to Mayor Derrick Henry and the City Commission on Tuesday, Sept. 15. His departure will be effective Oct. 15, almost exactly one year after he took the position. Belachew brought more than two decades of experience in financial management and auditing across federal, state, county, and city government to the role.

His resignation letter made no mention of the ongoing state investigation or the audit findings that emerged during his tenure. Instead, he thanked city staff, department directors, and residents, writing that establishing an independent internal audit function within a complex municipal organization "inevitably involves challenges," particularly given how new the office was.

During his time in the role, Belachew's office uncovered a series of concerning findings across city departments. An internal audit of the Daytona Beach Fire Department, completed in March 2026, revealed more than $500,000 in purchasing card charges for vehicle repairs and fuel that violated city policy, along with 14 fire department employees driving take-home vehicles without mileage logs. Auditors also found more than $50,000 spent at local fast food restaurants by fire department leadership and hundreds of purchases missing required receipts.

Beyond the fire department, Belachew's reviews identified broader concerns about outdated financial policies and a lack of checks and balances over city spending more generally.

Belachew's resignation comes as Florida's Joint Legislative Auditing Committee continues an investigation into Daytona Beach's finances, launched in December 2025 following reports of purchasing card misuse, excess building permit revenue, and questionable vehicle purchases. The request for that investigation came from state Sen. Tom Wright, who represents parts of Volusia County in Tallahassee. The Florida Attorney General's office has also issued subpoenas seeking city financial records in the months since. No criminal charges have been announced as of this writing.

Belachew is the fourth high-ranking Daytona Beach official to resign since the city's finances came under scrutiny, following the earlier departures of Fire Chief Dru Driscoll, Assistant City Manager Andy Holmes, and Chief Building Official Glenn Urquhart.

Despite the circumstances of his departure, Belachew pointed to several accomplishments from his brief tenure, including establishing a professional audit framework for the city, implementing a risk-based audit plan, and working to strengthen internal controls and financial transparency. He said he remains committed to an orderly transition, including documenting ongoing audit work for his eventual successor.

What's Next

City officials have not yet announced a timeline for naming Belachew's replacement. With the state investigation continuing and subpoenas for city records ongoing, Daytona Beach's finances are likely to remain under close outside scrutiny well beyond Belachew's departure. Volusia Voice will continue following developments in the investigation as they emerge.