Volusia taxpayers to foot bill for resort's seawall

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla.,None — WFTV has learned more about why Volusia County taxpayers must foot the bill for a seawall that collapsed at a private resort.

The Sunglow Resort in Daytona Beach Shores was supposed to maintain the wall between a parking lot and the beach.

The county owns the piece of property where the seawall stood, and the resort was just leasing it.

The resort waited months to repair the wall and then it fell, which is why the county is stepping in to make sure there are no more problems.

The ruins of the seawall left over from two weeks ago is still drawing attention and concern. There are now plans to fix it at the start of 2012, but the Sunglow Resort, which is responsible for it, won't have to pay a dime. Volusia County taxpayers will.

For years, the resort has leased the property from the county for parking. Last summer, the county ordered the resort to repair the deteriorating seawall accoring to the contract.

That was supposed to happen last month, but the resort had to wait for a permit, and it waited too long. Heavy rain and high surf knocked the wall down over a 24-hour period.

Since then, workers have taken it apart and a chain link fence now surrounds the site to keep people away. Just next door is a seawall that is still standing but now has metal bracing over pencil-thin cracks. On the other side is the Sunglow Resort pool.

Because of the trouble getting the resort to maintain the wall, the county made the decision to step in and take over the construction of a new wall and the drainage system associated with it.

Workers at the site Monday did not know exactly when construction could start on the wall.

The project is still being organized, so cost has not yet been determined.

WFTV