Photo for Headline Surfer® / DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- An expected resolution tonight by the Daytona Beach City Commission to take cars off a 1-plus mil stretch of the core tourism area of the beach where property values are subpar accomplishes nothing, but ramp up the rhetoric.
It obviously has no teeth since that decision lies with the Volusia County Council. The issue of cars on the beach is steeped in politics and avoids what really needs discussion: Creation of decent-paying jobs. But that's not what governance is for the most part in Volusia County.
First let's consider the area being discussed: Between Silver Beach Avenue at the north end heading south to University Boulevard. It was here a year ago where the new owners of the Desert Inn asked that cars be taken off the beach and parking provided across the street on A1A in exchange for the developer converting the shuttered hotel into a 5-star luxury hotel.
And it's this area where the so-Hard Rock Hotel and the Russian Towers are planned. In fact, Glenn Storch, attorney for the Hard Rock, tried to put a gun to the head of the county government, insisting cars needed to come off for the project to stay afloat. His bluff was called and he backed down.
However, the county has spent millions, over-paying for off-beach acreage that could be used for off beach parking.
But so far there has been nothing in the way of building beyond talk. More than a decade ago, cars were taken off the core tourism district in front of the Daytona Beach Bandshell, and the nearby Ocean Walk retail-condo development and Adams Mark, which eventually became the Marriott, the latter ending up in bankruptcy.
Further economic bliss was to come with the building of the county parking garage adjacent to the expanded Ocean Center. But that didn't happen. The locale is now one of the worst crime havens in all of Volusia County. So talk as they must -- but that's all it is: talk.
But so far there has been nothing in the way of building beyond talk. More than a decade ago, cars were taken off the core tourism district in front of the Daytona Beach Bandshell, and the nearby Ocean Walk retail-condo development and Adams Mark, which eventually became the Marriott, the latter ending up in bankruptcy. Further economic bliss was to come with the building of the county parking garage adjacent to the expanded Ocean Center. But that didn't happen. The locale is now one o the worst crime havens in all of Volusia County. So talk as they must -- but that's all it is: talk.
At the end of the day, it comes down to the Volusia County, which has control of the beach. And it's the County Council that will likely take up the issue on Thursday -- less than 12 hours after Daytona officials draw their line in the sand.
Officials like City Commissioner Rob Gilliland will be vocal, but that's not unexpected since he's among the elected leaders at the city and county level beholden to the influential insiders like International Speedway Corp. czar Lesa France Kennedy who have handsomely financed re-election campaigns.
Gilliland is not alone in that regard: Commissioners Patrick Henry, Paula Reed, Kelly White and Pam Wood have benefitted from campaign contributions from the Big 3 influential insiders: France Kennedy and her ISC board colleagues, Mori Hosseini, owner of ICI Homes and J. Hyatt Brown, chairman of the Board of Brown & Brown Insurance.
Mayor Derrick Henry is looking to reelection or perhaps even higher office. The Big 3 want cars off the beach. A year ago, Brown and France Kennedy showed up in the Frank T. Bruno County Council chambers to do make their sentiments known in support of cars coming off the beach when the Desert Inn issue first surfaced.
As for the County Council, it's clear that Councilmen Doug Daniels of Ormond Beach, Pat Patterson of DeLand and newly elected Fred Lowry of Deltona favor cars coming off the beach entirely.
On the other side, Joyce Cusack, the at-large councilwoman from DeLand, County Chair Jason Davis of Pierson and Councilman Josh Wagner of Daytona favor keeping cars on the beach, though Wagner at the last meeting proposed a super bill -- taking cats off that portion of the beach and not anywhere else in exchange for approval on funding for roads and a homeless shelter.
And that leaves Councilwoman Deb Denys of New Smyrna Beach, who knows full well that her home constituents would not take kindly to her voting to remove cars from the beach.
It takes five votes or a super majority to make any beach driving reductions. Once cars come off a certain portion of the beach, they can't be added back.
So look for a lot of grandstanding by the likes of Storch, who in addition to pushing the Hard Rock Hotel, also is pushing for a controversial hotel in New Smyrna Beach off Flagler Avenue.
At the end of the night tonight in Daytona, and at the end of the day tomorrow, in DeLand, expect nothing but talk. After all, talk is cheap. And the elected leaders in office with the help of the influential insiders do plenty of that.
At the end of the night tonight in Daytona, and at the end of the day tomorrow, in DeLand, expect nothing but talk. After all, talk is cheap. And the elected leaders in office with the help of the influential insiders do plenty of that.