Though I grew up there, and am currently in Orlando, I hadn't been to DB in nearly two years. My impressions:

My wife and I own a timeshare at the Royal Floridian in Ormond. We love that area in particular, including proximity to the beach preserve area and the very quaint stretch of shops and restaurants on Granada.

Dipped into my old neighborhood, behind Bel-Air Plaza. It's JUST like I remembered decades ago.

I wish I could say the stretch of A1A, between Ormond and Daytona Beach Shores, was 'frozen in time.' It's worse. It's gone backwards. Bombsite after bombsite from the boom that never materialized. And what did the city get for demolishing the Boardwalk ? Now, there are a few bright spots. The Ocean Center redo is nice. And Ocean Walk seems to be thriving. Certainly some of the old institutions, like the Plaza, continue to thrive.

Downtown is as quaint and colorful as ever. The City Center highrise has gotten a nice redo and really stands out. Going over the bridge, taking in the river vista, still gives me the same kind of rise that I experienced as a kid.

Int'l Speedway BL is transitional, but the stretch between Bethune-Cookman and the Speedway is prospering.

All-in-all, disappointment mixed with some positive impressions and warm nostalgia.

Uh-oh, spoke to soon. Just read where Ocean Walk is in foreclosure. Why don't they just raze the beach and redirect tourists to Ormond and New Smyrna ?

Daytona Beach is odd. It has the structural bones to be a major player in the "urban beach" experience in Florida. Had they played the cards right, it would already rival the major urban beach destinations (Miami Beach, Ft Lauderdale Beach, St Pete Beach, etc.) but instead it falls somewhere behind Cocoa Beach on the "experience" level.

Demolishing the boardwalk was a mistake, I was vehemently opposed to this. I think Daytona Beach has the bones to be a Santa Monica East Coast equivalent (really, I do) but it lacks all the vision.

Daytona Beach is odd. It has the structural bones to be a major player in the "urban beach" experience in Florida. Had they played the cards right, it would already rival the major urban beach destinations (Miami Beach, Ft Lauderdale Beach, St Pete Beach, etc.) but instead it falls somewhere behind Cocoa Beach on the "experience" level.

Demolishing the boardwalk was a mistake, I was vehemently opposed to this. I think Daytona Beach has the bones to be a Santa Monica East Coast equivalent (really, I do) but it lacks all the vision.
Same goes for any "urban" beach outside of Miami in Florida. St. Pete Beach stopped progressing in the 70's because the residents there opposed any development. Clearwater Beach has the same problem in addition with poor planning and terrible new developments. Jacksonville Beach is very suburban with nothing really going on. Ft. Lauderdale was done partially right but also suburbanized.The only place that got it right was Miami Beach.

Well, depends on what you're looking for in a beach town. Panama City Beach is far from urban, but has gotten a lot of high-quality development of late and is going bonkers as a family destination. And I think that Myrtle Beach probably falls in that category as well. If Daytona could only salvage the Boardwalk that would help a little bit.

Same goes for any "urban" beach outside of Miami in Florida. St. Pete Beach stopped progressing in the 70's because the residents there opposed any development. Clearwater Beach has the same problem in addition with poor planning and terrible new developments. Jacksonville Beach is very suburban with nothing really going on. Ft. Lauderdale was done partially right but also suburbanized.The only place that got it right was Miami Beach.

I agree, to an extent. Daytona Beach already has the cache to garner major tourism numbers and is more urban than its counterparts. The difference is that it has relied far too long on Spring Break, Bike Week, the 500, Black College Reunion, etc. as economy drivers that it is absent on a progressive vision and it's deteriorated in spite of, not because of.

You would think that the 2nd most famous beach in Florida (was once in 1st place) should be able to capitalize upon that distinction a bit more and to better results. I ultimately think this comes down to bad (very bad) city planning.

RCI rates Daytona as a 'Red Zone' location, meaning highest-desirability as a time-share destination. DB has no excuses. None.

Daytona Beach is odd. It has the structural bones to be a major player in the "urban beach" experience in Florida. Had they played the cards right, it would already rival the major urban beach destinations (Miami Beach, Ft Lauderdale Beach, St Pete Beach, etc.) but instead it falls somewhere behind Cocoa Beach on the "experience" level.



This sums up nicely what my perceptions have been.

I'll be honest, I've only actually been to Daytona a couple of times. Spend a lot of time in New Smyrna though. The few times I've been up that way it just seems sad and depressing. A shell of what could have been.

The mainland side feels more vibrant, but also less special or noteworthy.

I'm sure a lot of it is my perception of the place. I'm not into Nascar, biker bars, or college parties. It seems like so much of the area are devoted to those particular endeavors. But that could just be what I chose to see.

Growing up in Orlando I never went either. All the cool kids would go to Daytona, but I wasn't in that crowd. Always ended up at Cocoa for a day of surfing. :dunno:

As a kid growing up there, Daytona was magical. But I didn't have a very high-bar back then. I loved the beach. Next to Gainesville, where I spent the first few years of my life, the beach hotels might as well have been Manhattan to me. And all kids love tacky stuff anyway.

On a positive note, here is some recent Daytona center infill:

http://www.daytonabeachrentals.us/Beach-Street-Courtyard---Downtown-Daytona-Beach-Luxury-Lofts-with-River-Views-For-Sale-OR-LEASE-6-343.html

As far as the beach goes, there's nothing special about Daytona to me that you can't get anywhere else in coastal Florida. However, what is really special and totally not taken advantage of is the ISB corridor between I-95 and the beach.

Think about it. How many communities in the country have an international airport, a major speedway facility, regional shopping mall, a medical center, 4 colleges/university, downtown, a river/Intercoastal, entertainment oriented beach area and historic districts all within a five mile stretch on one single corridor? Nothing in South Florida, Central Florida, Jax, Atlanta, etc. has this diverse amount of major destinations on a 5-mile stretch of one street. If I were Daytona, I'd be doing everything I could to leverage that asset into a plan to turn it into one of the country's premier urban districts.

Fortunately for Daytona 99% of the people who visit it don't give a damn about the urban form of a city.

Fortunately, for them, entities like the Speedway, ERAU, DSC, Halifax Medical, BCU do and are currently collaborating to do something about it. Daytona is a stagnant, built out, aging city and tourism alone isn't going to keep its tax base afloat or encourage redevelopment and infill.

http://www.isbcoalition.org/

http://www.isbcoalition.org/Taskforce%20Resources.html

It will be interesting to see what happens with all of this.

Fortunately, for them, entities like the Speedway, ERAU, DSC, Halifax Medical, BCU do and are currently collaborating to do something about it. Daytona is a stagnant, built out, aging city and tourism alone isn't going to keep its tax base afloat or encourage redevelopment and infill.

http://www.isbcoalition.org/

http://www.isbcoalition.org/Taskforce%20Resources.html

It will be interesting to see what happens with all of this.

Good find, Lake! Those are some heavy-hitters. You'd like to think SOMETHING will come out of it.

I'm a part of the consultant team helping them. To attract the talent needed for their proposed long term expansions, many of Daytona's major private/educational entities believe there needs to be an environment in Daytona that attracts a 21st century workforce. I don't know how things will ultimately play off but its rare (at least in Florida) to see this many big hitters align for a common goal. I wish Jax's major companies would do the same.

I'm a part of the consultant team helping them. To attract the talent needed for their proposed long term expansions, many of Daytona's major private/educational entities believe there needs to be an environment in Daytona that attracts a 21st century workforce. I don't know how things will ultimately play off but its rare (at least in Florida) to see this many big hitters align for a common goal. I wish Jax's major companies would do the same.
Say the same about Tampa as well. Although the mayor's economic competitive committee or whatever it's called has some big hitters on it, be nice to just have one forum with both big names ad the general public discuss what can and should be done to keep the city moving.

Hopefully good things come out of this for Daytona though.

I'll throw in my http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/2229/twocents.gif. Having lived and worked in Daytona between 2000-2004 during college, and making many friends and acquaintances with locals along the way (a few whose families settled in the area before the turn of the 20th century), it doesn't surprise me that the area has remained so stagnant: It's just what they want.

While they'll tolerate a week or two here and there of obnoxious outsiders, loud motorcycles and unruly college kids, they're just as content seeing it all go away, back to that cozy, quaint little (large) town 'till the next one.

They're ok with "frozen in time".

Most don't visit the speedway, most have no need for Ocean Walk when good drinks and food can be found cheaper...and sometimes better...elsewhere. The hospital is just there, hoping they never have to use it. The mall is just there, good for the occasional Craftsman tool, Mother's Day gift, or the infrequent brush-up of formal wear. The airport is good for overpriced fares found always cheaper in Orlando...Oh, and that constant, never-ending drone of ERAU flight training overhead (guilty!). The colleges are a group of buildings on or near Volusia Avenue (sorry, International Speedway Blvd ;) ) that wouldn't have given them a second thought, and they would rather skewer a manatee on a giant rotisserie than have to slow down for one on the Halifax.

These people sure as heck aren't going to care about an urban district, especially if it takes money out of their pockets (which ones don't?). Excluding the major events, I can tell you, they consider their quality of life to be just fine. But everything I gather seems to point to outsiders and special interests concerned otherwise.

I'll throw in my http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/2229/twocents.gif. Having lived and worked in Daytona between 2000-2004 during college, and making many friends and acquaintances with locals along the way (a few whose families settled in the area before the turn of the 20th century), it doesn't surprise me that the area has remained so stagnant: It's just what they want.

While they'll tolerate a week or two here and there of obnoxious outsiders, loud motorcycles and unruly college kids, they're just as content seeing it all go away, back to that cozy, quaint little (large) town 'till the next one.

They're ok with "frozen in time".

Most don't visit the speedway, most have no need for Ocean Walk when good drinks and food can be found cheaper...and sometimes better...elsewhere. The hospital is just there, hoping they never have to use it. The mall is just there, good for the occasional Craftsman tool, Mother's Day gift, or the infrequent brush-up of formal wear. The airport is good for overpriced fares found always cheaper in Orlando...Oh, and that constant, never-ending drone of ERAU flight training overhead (guilty!). The colleges are a group of buildings on or near Volusia Avenue (sorry, International Speedway Blvd ;) ) that wouldn't have given them a second thought, and they would rather skewer a manatee on a giant rotisserie than have to slow down for one on the Halifax.

These people sure as heck aren't going to care about an urban district, especially if it takes money out of their pockets (which ones don't?). Excluding the major events, I can tell you, they consider their quality of life to be just fine. But everything I gather seems to point to outsiders and special interests concerned otherwise.

As I already said, IF ONLY it were 'frozen in time.' It is not. It has gone backwards.