DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Volusia County Council is expected to discuss potential plans Tuesday that would allow driving on a section of beach in Daytona Beach that has been closed to vehicles for more than 25 years. 

What You Need To Know

  • Volusia County Council members to discuss converting a non-driving section of Daytona Beach into a beach-driving and parking segment

  • County Council Chair Jeff Brower said he wants to make driving and parking permissible on the beach from International Speedway Boulevard to Auditorium Boulevard

  • Beach driving on the section of the sand was banned in March 2000 when 1,500 new parking spaces became available at the Ocean Center

  • According to county officials, though, state law currently allows removal of beach driving from sections where it was previously authorized, but does not provide authority to restore beach driving

County Council Chair Jeff Brower presented the idea to make driving and parking permissible on the beach from International Speedway Boulevard to Auditorium Boulevard to council members in May 2024, but it failed to pass in a 2-4 vote.

Brower said it could be beneficial not only for members of the public but also for business owners on Main Street who took a hard hit when beach parking and driving were banned in March 2000 — after the Ocean Center added 1,500 extra public parking spaces.

Before that, in 1996, the County Council enacted an ordinance banning public beach driving from Seabreeze Boulevard to the northern boundary of the extension of International Speedway Boulevard, once 1,000+ new parking spots opened in the area.

Brower, along with some community members, disagreed with the move, which they say killed a lot of beachside businesses.

While council members are reconsidering the matter this year, county officials said the process to bring beach side driving and parking back won’t be as simple as taking a vote.

They said that while state law allows for the removal of beach driving from sections where it was previously allowed, it does not give municipalities the authority to restore beach driving.

County leaders say the action would require the Florida Legislature to enact a special law to allow them to restore beach driving to that given section.

Along with the complicated logistics involved in restoring beach driving to the area, two recent incidents on Volusia County beaches have also raised safety concerns about driving and parking on area beaches.

In February, officials say a 71-year-old woman was lounging in Daytona Beach when her head got run over by an 84-year-old driver that was exiting a parking spot on the beach.

And on April 7, a 33-year-old Ocala man was reportedly run over by a Jeep while sunbathing in Ormond Beach.

Officials say both individuals survived. 

County Council members will meet to discuss the matter during the County Council meeting at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center in DeLand at 4 p.m.