Lack of 'Sunshine' at The Speedway

With the help of the News-Journal never reporting the story, International Speedway Corporation and the France family quietly continue to control and manipulate our City government to the extreme.

For years they've virtually bribed Commissioners with luxury box seats and free corporate jet rides in exchange for special treatment such as passage of zoning and permitting laws which have destroyed competing businesses.

Greed maybe good or even necessary in corporate America but the Speedway has taken it to an extreme that's almost obscene.

City Commissioners and the Mayor receive tickets for every race and are seated in the top floor of the Winston Tower. (These are the premium seats, with a chef and waiter standing by to cook or get whatever you need). Companies like Budweiser pay over $8,000 for one annual ticket on a lower floor to entertain their best customers. The tickets Commissioners and the Mayor receive every year are valued between $10,000 to $15,000!

Since Mayor Asher has held office for over twenty years in various capacities, he's received tickets from ISC valued in excess of $250,000! Yet, Commissioners and the Mayor routinely claim only $200 on their gift reports! Looks like it pays to get elected in Daytona Beach, just not in salary!

It's been speculated Commissioners routinely violate Sunshine Laws while at the races, discussing city business in a closed meeting environment. Misrepresenting their '$200' luxury tickets and not meeting in the 'Sunshine' are ethics violations that may have both administrative and criminal consequences.

ISC maintains they're not interested in influencing local politics. Yet, they and their 'friends' have contributed over $100,000 to Ms. Scarlet-Golden's campaign this year and recently had a 'coming out' party for her. Just five years ago the cost to run a successful Mayoral campaign in Daytona Beach was less than $8,000. ISC appears to have raised the bar to over $100,000 now. Why? For special treatment and political favors of course! Temporary permit applications (TPA) are issued by the City for businesses to sell items such as souvenirs, food or beverages outside during Special Events. The City Commission recently modified TPA's so that no business other than the Speedway, can have outside vending during Speed Weeks. Businesses on International Speedway Boulevard that used to sell T-shirts and other souvenirs for years, have lost $50-$70,000 in sales annually because of the change in TPA regulations.

Commissioners and the Mayor say they made TPA changes to avoid 'event creep'. In reality they made TPA changes to eliminate competition in merchandise sales for ISC. Whenever a special use tax is suggested on Speedway tickets or for race fan parking, it never gets anywhere, even though Commissioners have stated Special Events cost are the cause of the present budget crisis. (We don't agree and can prove why it's not true.) ISC again uses it's corporate 'muscle' to leverage our politicians and avoid paying more for city services.

The Speedway is actually on County property and doesn't have to comply to City zoning or TPA permitting rules. However, ISC's administrative offices are on the north side of International Speedway Boulevard, within Daytona's City limits and are affected by both zoning and permitting rules in Daytona Beach.

In order to insure that ISC could do whatever it wanted regarding outside vending (and to pay back' all those free tickets, campaign contributions and jet rides) the Commission quietly passed zoning changes in 2002 giving ISC's 'administrative offices' Festival Zoning! There are no permits or permit fees required when you have Festival Zoning so you can do virtually anything you want, anytime you want on your property without City permits or permission. It looks like ISC's 'investment' in our politicians has really paid off!

ISC's offices are the only location in our City that's been granted Festival Zoning! Not one business on Main Street can get approval for this type of zoning during Bike Week! Apparently Bike Week businesses can't offer the level of 'incentives' to our politicians that the Speedway does. It's rumored that businesses affected by the TPA permitting change will be filing a class action lawsuit shortly to challenge these changes.

The Speedway is also allowed by our politicians, to pay just $22 per hour for off duty police officers, while every other business pays $25. In fact, they're the only business allowed to pay the officers directly. Everyone else has to go through the City and pay in advance. ISC also makes no matching contribution to the police pension fund.

The deal the Speedway has with the County and City for leasing the property the race track is on is just amazing! They pay only $10,000 per year! The Jacksonville Jaguars pay $11 million dollars per year to lease their stadium and actually make much less profit than the Speedway.

This lease agreement contains a clause that allows the Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational District (a city state and county partnership), to use the Speedway three full months of the year for whatever purpose they desire, without ISC's approval or involvement.

Isn't it interesting that all the Racing and Recreational District can come up with is a couple of car shows during that three month period? A non NASCAR racing event could generate millions for the City if negotiated properly.

Sadly, no active marketing is taking place. Our politicians appear to be happy on ISC's ‘pseudo-payroll' and certainly won't bite the hand that feeds them, entertains them or gets them elected!

After years of abuse City Commissioners and the Mayor are finally under investigation by the State Ethics Commission and the State Attorneys office for their alleged misconduct. Let's hope the Real truth is verified and they are held accountable for their actions.