Headline Surfer photos by Henry Frederick / A woman dances while raising a beer in front of her pre-teen daughter during a New Year's Eve celebration on Main Street in Daytona Beach. CRA taxpayer money supported the bash with the dropping of a lighted beach ball.
DAYTONA BEACH -- With Daytona Beach's continual emphasis on economic development and dealing with the issue of blight, how does the city justify its use of CRA taxpayer-supported dollars for massive public drinking parties like the New Year's Eve bash held on Main Street?
Headline Surfer has the videos to show you the big block party paid for with money from the Community Redevelopment Agency that is supposed to be used to tackled blight. Alcohol -- beer, whine, scotch, whiskey and bourbon -- was sold from makeshift bars right in the middle of Main Street, something that isn't even allowed during Bike Week.
Headline Surfer will outline the good, the bad and the ugly of CRAs and what the County Council is doing to tighten regulations.
This is not the kind of coverage you'll find in your daily print newspaper, which receives CRA monies to promote such events but not covering them.