Volusia County, FL - At the Volusia County Council meeting on Thursday, council members discussed a proposed Daytona Beach Shores ordinance that could potentially impact the amount of beach parking available.
The proposed ordinance would:
Aerial shots of beach parking taken on Memorial Day weekend from the south side of Granada in Ormond Beach to Ponce Inlet indicate possible places for parking on the west side of A1A.
There are nine parcels, or 3.68 acres, that are vacant and available that fit the criteria outlined by the proposed ordinance. In those parcels, there is enough room for up to 223 spaces. But, considering the rule that states only 60% of a parcel can be used for parking, there are only 141 potential parking spaces. Two of the nine parcels have convenient beach access across A1A.
The council is concerned that without an identifiable sign that shows beach access from parking on the west side of A1A, beach-goers will not feel comfortable enough to use them to cross over to the east side. The aerial photographs show that parking down the local stretch of A1A is usually 100% full on the east side, but 50-60% full on the west side, presumably due to unclear beach access points.
Council member Deborah Denys said that she is okay with charging out-of-county beachgoers more in order to help citizens find parking more easily.
Some council members discussed the possibility of a lawsuit over the matter. Councilwoman Billie Wheeler expressed her wishes to negotiate instead of bringing up a lawsuit. Chairman Ed Kelley believes it will go to court, but he hopes it will be friendly.
"I know none of us want to go into a lawsuit. I certainly don't want to see that for my city, I absolutely don't want to do that, and I think that the more and more evidence that's piled up, I just feel that the County is moving in the right way and hopefully we can still negotiate with the City," said Wheeler. "That maybe not everybody is going to win everything, but we can at least compromise on some issues, somewhere, but at least get back to the table to talk."
Kelley believes the Council will know something by their August 17 meeting.
"We have to do what we need to do to make sure that we have access for our citizens. You may live in the Shores, but you do not own the beach in the Shores," said Councilwoman Joyce Cusack. "And so that is the key that we must keep in mind as we move forward with this."
Earlier reporting of the parking dispute between Daytona Beach Shores and Volusia County can be found here.
Photo courtesy of Bennian and Shutterstock.com.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
