VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County leaders have approved an ordinance that will make it possible to ban driving on some parts of Daytona Beach.
The controversial ordinance was approved 6-1 Thursday afternoon after Volusia County Council members listened to several hours of comments from citizens representing both sides of the issue.
Developers of a Hard Rock Hotel and a Westin Hotel pushed for the change.
"The average Daytonan cannot even afford to go to the Hard Rock Café, Hard Rock Hotel or possibly the Westin, but they can afford to drive on the beach," said resident James Harper.
"We have the opportunity with these changes to start talking about quality. Everybody else who's going to be competing with these organizations will have to increase their quality, too," said resident Hyatt Brown.
There are nearly 16 miles of beach driving allowed in Volusia County, but the ordinance would cut roughly a quarter-mile of that.
"This just sets the groundwork to where people could if they wanted to start up a new hotel and try to have cars removed from the beach," said Volusia County Council Chairman Jason Davis.
http://twitter.com/BTolisonWFTV/status/596376564494925824
"I was elected to make tough, hard decisions that aren't personal to me, because the personal me doesn't want to do it, but what I was elected to do was this," said councilman Joshua Wagner, who voted yes on the ordinance.
The resorts will now have to follow strict requirements down to their overall quality to the public parking spaces they must provide next to the beach.
Leaders said every qualification must be met to end beach driving.
Davis said hotels would have to be completed to stop beach driving, which could be several years away.
Follow Blaine on Twitter: @BTolisonWFTV
Previous Story: Volusia County leaders to vote on beach driving issue
WFTV
