Beachside/Flagler Avenue

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- God created the Heavens and the Earth, beast and fowl and mankind, all in six days. On the seventh day, He rested. New Smyrna Beach officials and the developer with golden shovels broke ground on the Hampton Inn. They rested for 73 days before construction began anew today.

NSBNEWS.NET photos and videos by Henry Frederick / Jim Nelson, the city of New Smyrna Beach's tennis pro, moonlights as a driver for "NSBFree," which shuttles people for free all over the New Smyrna Beach beachside and even parts of the mainland near the North and South Causeway bridges such as Canal Street. The people in the vehicle are surfers from Barbados here for a surfing tournament Saturday near the South Jetty. NSBNews.net went along for a ride with Nelson and the surfing visitors.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- They say there's no such thing as a free ride, but residents and visitors alike in New Smyrna Beach beg to differ with "NSBFree."

NSBNews.net photos by Sera Frederick / On the drawing boards for five years-plus, the proposed Hampton Inn & Suites is the new reality for historic Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach. The developer is South Carolina-based David Swentor (with hand out to the drawing) shown here with CRA Director Tony Otte during a public hearing earlier this year.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Residents soon will see the beginning of the first significant hotel development in the City in more than 20 years. Developers of the Hampton Inn Hotel on Flagler Avenue are expecting to break ground on the project in the next few weeks.

"After nearly five years of meetings and public hearings, we're excited to have a new hotel coming to New Smyrna Beach," said New Smyrna Beach Mayor Adam Barringer.

"The project will serve as an economic generator in the short term with construction jobs and in the long term with the travelers expected to stay here. We anticipate this hotel will exceed the expectations for occupancy."

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The New Smyrna Beach Little Theatre will hold auditions from for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, and Sunday, Aug. 28, at the theater, 726 East Third Ave. on the beachside.

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis.

VolusiaNews.net and NSBNews.net provide Volusia County with 24 / 7 Internet newspaper coverage for a 21st-century world. 

Photos courtesy of the Smyrna Safari Club / Tadpole surfing will be held April 2 south of the Ponce Inlet jetty in New Smyrna Beach, part of a four-day Kona Pro Surf Contest, that begins March 31. This photo shows an unidentified mom and her child in the New Smyrna Beach surf, practicing for the tadpole contest

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The community's youngest surfers have been given the nickname of tadpoles, which Webster's Dictionary defines as a small creature with external gills that undergoes a metamorphosis to adult.

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Photos by Dale Smith / Hampton Inn developer David Swentor gestures as CRA Director Tony Otte stands by his side in explaining the timing of a special designation that could generate additional funding, even before the hotel has secured its primary funding at Tuesday night's New Smyrna Beach City Commission meeting. Mayor Adam Barringer, shown at far left, supported the request, but Commissioner Jim Hathaway, seated next to him, did not.

Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH – The City Commission tonight approved a resolution allowing the developer of the proposed Hampton Inn & Suites on Flagler Avenue to be designated as a Qualified Target Industry Business.

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(photos by Dale Smith). The Flagler Avenue Boardwalk design may change if the city commission approves removing the end structure like this one. The boardwalk has two, 35-foot-long extensions from the main structure. Removal of them would provide for better visibility. In the smaller photo, the copula has been a roosting place for pigeons over the years. Looking straight up, one can see why pigeons favor the inside.

Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The question of what to do with the Flagler Avenue Boardwalk became somewhat clearer Wednesday when the Community Redevelopment Agency members approved what they think is the best way to fix and preserve the structure.

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(photos by Dale Smith). The empty lot at Flagler and Cooper avenues will be turned into an ice skating rink during the upcoming Winter Festival, sponsored by The Hospitality Group, comprised of merchants of Flagler Avenue.

Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH – The jet stream from Canada has dipped so low they’ll be ice skating on Flagler Avenue. Ok, maybe not the actual frozen stuff, but there will be artificial ice for everyone to glide around on.