Volusia County leaders consider plan to add more off-beach parking

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County leaders on Wednesday are looking at a plan to create more parking for the county's beaches as the summer crowds move in.
 
Channel 9 spoke with residents who said they didn't mind the high price tag of $825,000 for more parking, and that it's important to see places like Andy Romano Park in Ormond Beach add more off-beach parking.
 
"Holiday weekends are packed, weekends are packed (and) parking is a hard thing to get to. If you don't want to drive on the beach, you're going to be stuck looking for parking for quite a while," resident Terri Lynch said.
 
The county could take a step closer to adding 100 more parking spots just 2 miles south of Daytona Beach. The lot sits next to a future Westin Hotel and is within walking distance of Daytona's tourism core.
 
"They drive around here a couple times in a circle (to) see if somebody will leave. It really doesn't happen," resident Delana Cortez said.
 
The county has 37 off-beach parking lots, but only a few are large enough to handle large crowds, and residents said they're concerned because crowds are getting bigger.
 
"Go ahead and build it now, reserve it for the future generations to enjoy and come to our beach and enjoy it, and obviously the economic impact is quite needed in our area," resident David Creech said.

Cox Media Group