DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For Shanika Mumford, the appeal of Crystal Ballroom Oceanwalk was visible the moment she saw it: an oceanfront setting, with the water serving as a backdrop for her wedding day.
“That’s what got me was the scene, the overlook of the water,” Mumford said.
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She was planning her wedding around that view. Instead, she and other couples who had paid to use the Daytona Beach venue were left searching for new places to celebrate after the ballroom was evicted and closed.
News 6 first reported in April that Crystal Ballroom Oceanwalk had been evicted, leaving brides and grooms scrambling to rebuild wedding plans that had already been paid for and carefully organized.
“It was stressful, really stressful,” Mumford said. “Now I have to find different vendors for different things, spend more money than I didn’t have to spend.”
Six months after the closure, Mumford said she still has not received the money she paid Crystal Ballroom.
“I paid Crystal Ballroom close to $5,000. We haven’t received any refunds back yet,” she said.
The missing money has affected more than the wedding budget.
“Now we have to wait, so our honeymoon will be next year instead of this year,” she said.
For couples who paid deposits or full balances, the closure created a choice: pick another Crystal Ballroom location or find another venue quickly and pay again.
News 6 took the brides’ concerns to Lukasz Rogowski, the owner who operated Crystal Ballroom Oceanwalk as well as multiple other Crystal Ballroom locations around Florida and South Carolina.
In August, Crystal Ballroom Lake Mary brides took to social media with concerns that the location would close, leaving them out of pocket and stranded like the Daytona brides.
In a statement to News 6, Rogowski said Crystal Ballroom Lake Mary signed a two-year lease on Sept. 1. The statement also said the company is “actively trying to buy the building.”
As for the Daytona Beach couples who are still waiting for their money, Rogowski said refunds the company has committed to are being paid through “an ongoing process.”
However, he did not say how much longer brides such as Mumford should expect to wait, or provide a specific timeline for when all outstanding refunds will be completed.
Consumer advocates generally recommend that customers:
- Review the contract. Look for refund provisions, cancellation language, force majeure clauses and any deadlines for making a claim.
- Request the refund in writing. Ask the business to confirm the amount owed and provide a specific payment date.
- Keep a complete paper trail. Save receipts, bank statements, contracts, emails, text messages and screenshots of communications.
- Contact the payment provider. Couples who paid by credit card may want to ask their card company about dispute or chargeback options. Deadlines can apply, so customers should act promptly.
- Report unresolved problems. Consumers can consider filing complaints with the Florida Attorney General’s office, the Better Business Bureau or other appropriate consumer-protection agencies.
- Get legal advice when necessary. If the amount involved is significant or a contract dispute develops, a Florida consumer or contract attorney may be able to explain available options.
Those steps do not guarantee a refund, but they can help couples organize their claims and preserve evidence if the dispute continues.
See the statement from owner Lukasz Rogowski below:
“Over the past several months, there has been considerable discussion on social media regarding Crystal Ballroom, the closing of our former Daytona Beach location, and more recently, questions regarding the future of Crystal Ballroom Lake Mary. We believe our clients deserve facts directly from us. Crystal Ballroom Lake Mary is not closing.
On September 1, 2026, a two-year extension of our Lake Mary lease was accepted and signed, securing our continued occupancy of the property. At the same time, we are actively pursuing the acquisition of the premises with the goal of making this location a permanent home for Crystal Ballroom Lake Mary.
Regarding Our Former Daytona Beach Location. We also want to address something we have never attempted to hide. Our Daytona Beach location closed earlier this year. We understand the disappointment and frustration this caused, particularly for clients who were affected by that closure. Every Daytona client was given options, including the opportunity to relocate their event to one of our sister Crystal Ballroom locations or, where applicable, enter the refund process. There are also former Daytona clients who are still receiving refunds.
Refunds that we have committed to are being satisfied through an ongoing process, even though the Daytona business itself is permanently closed and no longer generates revenue."
Lukasz Rogowski
News 6 will continue tracking the status of refunds for couples affected by the Crystal Ballroom Oceanwalk closure.
