DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The City of Daytona Beach will close the Seabreeze Boulevard beach approach Friday evening to allow structural repairs to a tunnel connected to the troubled Plaza Resort & Spa.
The closure comes after city and county officials met on-site with Plaza Resort property owner Johnathan Eid and his contractor. Officials determined the approach should be closed to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic while repairs are made to the tunnel above the beach access point.
Beach access through the approach will close at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14.
The decision follows a Channel 9 investigation revealing exposed rebar and concrete chunks on support beams beneath the tunnel. It is linked to the Plaza Resort & Spa, a hotel and condo building over 100 years old, declared non-compliant due to code violations and safety concerns.
“Officials carefully considered the importance of maintaining public access to the beach and explored every reasonable effort to keep the approach open,” the city said in a statement. “Ultimately, however, the need to protect beachgoers and construction workers took precedence.”
The city said the existing repair permit has been closed at the owner’s request, and a new contractor, G.C. Contractor Services, has been hired to complete the work. A new permit application has been submitted to the city, which plans to expedite its review so repairs can begin as quickly as possible.
City records show an earlier permit issued in May would have allowed repairs to the tunnel, but city officials said they were never contacted to inspect completed work before that permit was closed.
Earlier this week, 9 Investigates reported that the Plaza Resort had missed a state-required milestone inspection deadline. The inspections became mandatory for many condominium buildings after the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse.
The investigation also revealed the property’s owner had received approximately $20 million in insurance proceeds but had not applied for permits to repair the main building.
Condominium owners have told Channel 9 they continue to pay HOA dues and assessments despite seeing little progress on repairs.
The Seabreeze approach is currently the only open beach access point between the Hard Rock Hotel and the Daytona Beach Pier. The nearby University Boulevard beach approach remains closed due to seawall repair work.
City officials said the beach approach will remain closed until repairs can be completed and the area can safely reopen to the public.
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