Deltona Mayor Accused of Taking Trip on Taxpayers’ Dime

Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. is under fire for allegedly taking a trip to visit Washington D.C. in January using city taxpayer dollars. The accusation led to City Commissioner Dori Howington publicly calling on Avila to pay the city back for the expense, which she says was not a proper usage of taxpayer funds. Beyond Howington’s criticisms, Avila is also the defendant in a lawsuit filed in small claims court alleging that he has over $1,400 in unpaid credit card bills. The New Jersey credit firm CKS Prime Investments filed their suit in January. These latest allegations against Mayor Avila were first reported by the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Avila’s travel expenses receiving scrutiny were a trip to Washington D.C. to be present at the second inauguration of President Donald Trump. Records indicate he and his wife drove north to the event in a Deltona city vehicle, using a city credit card to pay for a Hyatt Hotel stay that cost almost $1,700. Mayor Avila has been contacted for comment about these accusations, and any response he may give will be added to this story upon being received.