DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona Beach is on a mission to transform its pier and boardwalk area into a must-visit destination.
The city just purchased a half-acre space on the beach, located off Ocean Avenue near Harvey Avenue, for $2.2 million as one of its first steps to lengthen the boardwalk and bring in more entertainment.
The city hopes to attract a boutique hotel or similar business to the piece of land, which is right next to the future site of Señor Frogs.
“We’re looking to have people that are serious, that have experience, proven background, proven track record to come in and let’s upgrade things,” said commissioner Ken Strickland.
The city wants to bring in businesses that can elevate the boardwalk experience. Strickland believes these changes are long overdue.
“This is the first thing that I can remember being done to really kind of improve this area in years,” he said. “We don’t have rides up by the boardwalk anymore; it stops right there at the pier, so we need to do something to create some change.”
One of the main reasons the city purchased this land is to kickstart its plans to extend the boardwalk all the way down to Harvey Avenue. Currently, the north side of the boardwalk features the Oceanwalk Shoppes and the Bandshell. The south section has a few shops, a pizza place, and the pier, which is the area the city is targeting for improvements.
Dino Paspalakis, whose family has owned the Mardi Gras Arcade since the 1950s, is excited about the changes.
“We’re also doing our part! We’re currently remodeling the outside of the Pizza King, and we’re doing the same thing to the Mardi Gras right now,” he said.
Business owners in the area have been asking the city to make these improvements to attract visitors back.
“We’re doing the best that we can. We do fireworks every Saturday night. The Friends of the Bandshell have their concerts over there Saturday nights,” Paspalakis added.
As for a timeline for the boardwalk project, the city has hired a consultant to design and obtain permits for the new plans. They expect the designs to be finished by June 2026.