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Orlando Extended Metro Developments (Volusia/Brevard/East Polk)


jrs2

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20 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Demolition by neglect wins again, this time in Ormond Beach. A former church with some interesting architectural features (the story says it was built in ‘76 but it looks more like a ‘60’s design to me). 

Anyway, the city commission is opting to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot.

The 1950’s seem to be alive and well in Ormond.

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

Ormond Beach moves forward with converting church into parking lot near downtown

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2021/06/07/ormond-beach-officials-opt-more-parking-historic-neighborhood/7455576002/

Spenser, you need to stop digging up these troublesome articles; it's not good for your emotional health!  LOL.

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1 minute ago, jrs2 said:

Spenser, you need to stop digging up these troublesome articles; it's not good for your emotional health!  LOL.

It just is so crazy that after Jane Jacobs and all the hard work done in Orlando, WG, NSB and all over the country, the indifference and greed of the Robert Moses types after 60 years is coming back with a vengeance. People in legacy towns DO NOT want to live in Lake Mary. I’ll take a nap now.

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4 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

It just is so crazy that after Jane Jacobs and all the hard work done in Orlando, WG, NSB and all over the country, the indifference and greed of the Robert Moses types after 60 years is coming back with a vengeance. People in legacy towns DO NOT want to live in Lake Mary. I’ll take a nap now.

you need to have a column in a news periodical.  seriously.  Your history nuggets are priceless...for real...

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On 6/9/2021 at 7:43 PM, spenser1058 said:

Demolition by neglect wins again, this time in Ormond Beach. A former church with some interesting architectural features (the story says it was built in ‘76 but it looks more like a ‘60’s design to me). 

Anyway, the city commission is opting to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot.

The 1950’s seem to be alive and well in Ormond.

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

Ormond Beach moves forward with converting church into parking lot near downtown

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2021/06/07/ormond-beach-officials-opt-more-parking-historic-neighborhood/7455576002/

I drive by this place occasionally and it is nothing special. You can google map it and get a view from the side road. It is not interesting architecture, it is a crappy 70's box that they added an oversized roof line with stained glass. The city has entertained options on it and f or several years no one wanted to invest in it. Although the article refers to it as historic that is only because the neighborhood is- not this particular building.  The parking lot plan is interim until they can determine a best use.  

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The next growth of sprawl along the I95 corridor in the Daytona area is the last exit northbound where US1 turns toward Bunnell:

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

More growth: Slowly, North U.S. 1 becoming Ormond Beach's new gateway to I-95

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/business/real-estate/2021/06/12/future-ormond-beach-florida-retail-new-homes-coming-north-us-1/5288517001/

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3 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

The next growth of sprawl along the I95 corridor in the Daytona area is the last exit northbound where US1 turns toward Bunnell:

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

More growth: Slowly, North U.S. 1 becoming Ormond Beach's new gateway to I-95

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/business/real-estate/2021/06/12/future-ormond-beach-florida-retail-new-homes-coming-north-us-1/5288517001/

Just more traffic for you to deal with as you drive back to your hometown form your commuter outpost... :)

 

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there was a bog ole souped up truck meet in Daytona over the weekend.  Let's see...Silver Beach, US 92, Main St, Seabreeze bridges all had stopped traffic on Saturday.  92 was backed up to Nova Road.  Main St was backed up to US1.  Seabreeze Bridge was backed up to Beach St.  What a fiasco.  Hopefully that translated into $$$ for the local merchants.

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Good news and bad news in Daytona:

First, the good news - New City Manager Deric Feacher seems to be open to including all of the City’s residents in doing his job. He also noted it’s the Council’s job to set policy, he’s there to implement it. That’s a big change from the entrenched “my way or the highway” attitude of his predecessor, who stayed much too long (why is this such a pattern in Central Florida?) Even the folks in Midtown and Beachside got a hearing.

The bad news: once again, a special event nearly destroyed the city and yet some of the same old folks seem to think residents have no right to peaceful, safe neighborhoods (yes, including Midtown and Beachside). Fortunately, Truck Meet may finally be the event that goes too far. Let’s hope so.

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

The Daytona Beach area needs a better image; obnoxious big trucks don't help

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/opinion/2021/06/20/obnoxious-trucks-do-not-improve-daytona-beachs-image/7677389002/

Edited by spenser1058
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2 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Good news and bad news in Daytona:

First, the good news - New City Manager Deric Feacher seems to be open to including all of the City’s residents in doing his job. He also noted it’s the Council’s job to set policy, he’s there to implement it. That’s a big change from the entrenched “my way or the highway” attitude of his predecessor, who stayed much too long (why is this such a pattern in Central Florida?) Even the folks in Midtown and Beachside got a hearing.

The bad news: once again, a special event nearly destroyed the city and yet some of the same old folks seem to think residents have no right to peaceful, safe neighborhoods (yes, including Midtown and Beachside). Fortunately, Truck Meet may finally be the event that goes too far. Let’s hope so.

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

The Daytona Beach area needs a better image; obnoxious big trucks don't help

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/opinion/2021/06/20/obnoxious-trucks-do-not-improve-daytona-beachs-image/7677389002/

IMO, the Daytona people don't know what they're doing.  They kick out MTV and BET and point to the LPGA as the type of events they'd like to see more of in Daytona.  So, by doing this, they destroyed the lodging industry on A1A that was thriving for decades and evolved over the decades until it came to a screeching halt.

Yes, a lot of spring breakers during BCR would trash their hotel rooms.  White spring breakers elected instead to balcony jump...sometimes unsuccessfully.  

The LPGA event-type of business never evolved or flourished.  The condo boom and bust came and went.

The Speedway people built retail on 92, Tanger came, Consolidated Tomoka began developing their land with retail, Margaritaville neighborhood came, and there's a bunch of development along Williamson, LPGA.  

Embry Riddle has steadily expanded; BCC a bit with visible developments; DBCC evolved to DSC with some new buildings.

Spring Break made a little bit of a comeback.

Covid derailed one of the busiest cinemas in CFLA; probably back on track again...

So what if those trucks were loud.  Did they spend money?  They spoke of selling your soul as a community ala unfavorable events in another article.  Daytona has the beach...always has... and the moniker of WMFB.  

There is alot of good golfing in Daytona.  But Daytona has always been known for hosting events; NASCAR, Bike Week, etc...now those annual big concerts at the Speedway.  They also have that video game tournament CEO which is supposed to be around...now...that they snagged from Orlando.

I don't know.  There's always a bad apple or two in the bunch...

 

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20 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

IMO, the Daytona people don't know what they're doing.  They kick out MTV and BET and point to the LPGA as the type of events they'd like to see more of in Daytona.  So, by doing this, they destroyed the lodging industry on A1A that was thriving for decades and evolved over the decades until it came to a screeching halt.

Yes, a lot of spring breakers during BCR would trash their hotel rooms.  White spring breakers elected instead to balcony jump...sometimes unsuccessfully.  

The LPGA event-type of business never evolved or flourished.  The condo boom and bust came and went.

The Speedway people built retail on 92, Tanger came, Consolidated Tomoka began developing their land with retail, Margaritaville neighborhood came, and there's a bunch of development along Williamson, LPGA.  

Embry Riddle has steadily expanded; BCC a bit with visible developments; DBCC evolved to DSC with some new buildings.

Spring Break made a little bit of a comeback.

Covid derailed one of the busiest cinemas in CFLA; probably back on track again...

So what if those trucks were loud.  Did they spend money?  They spoke of selling your soul as a community ala unfavorable events in another article.  Daytona has the beach...always has... and the moniker of WMFB.  

There is alot of good golfing in Daytona.  But Daytona has always been known for hosting events; NASCAR, Bike Week, etc...now those annual big concerts at the Speedway.  They also have that video game tournament CEO which is supposed to be around...now...that they snagged from Orlando.

I don't know.  There's always a bad apple or two in the bunch...

 

Why is it Daytona keeps falling prey to this nonsense? NSB doesn’t, Ormond doesn’t, Cocoa Beach doesn’t, St. Augustine doesn’t - heck, even Myrtle Beach doesn’t.

Ft. Lauderdale had problems with Spring Break at one point and decided it was time to move on.

Speed Weeks seemed manageable, probably because it was spread over several weeks. In any event, unless NASCAR can slow its decline, that won’t be a problem. Spring Break mostly blew up because of MTV. Once the hyper-coverage went away, so did the Spring Break problem.

BCR seems to have been replaced by Orange Crush, which just concluded in Jax Beach after moving from Tybee Island and seems like it will be OK.

Bike Week was an aging boomer thing and unless X’ers and Millennials all start deciding to buy Harleys as they age, it’s gonna decline.

Bottom line: until Beachside is restored, all you’re gonna get is this Truck Meet no one else wants (have you seen I-Drive clamoring for it?) There are too many decent beaches (notice we didn’t even talk about the Pinellas beaches?) that folks can. spend money at without the kind of problems even the police chief wants to walk away from.

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6 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Why is it Daytona keeps falling prey to this nonsense? NSB doesn’t, Ormond doesn’t, Cocoa Beach doesn’t, St. Augustine doesn’t - heck, even Myrtle Beach doesn’t.

Ft. Lauderdale had problems with Spring Break at one point and decided it was time to move on.

Speed Weeks seemed manageable, probably because it was spread over several weeks. In any event, unless NASCAR can slow its decline, that won’t be a problem. Spring Break mostly blew up because of MTV. Once the hyper-coverage went away, so did the Spring Break problem.

BCR seems to have been replaced by Orange Crush, which just concluded in Jax Beach after moving from Tybee Island and seems like it will be OK.

Bike Week was an aging boomer thing and unless X’ers and Millennials all start deciding to buy Harleys as they age, it’s gonna decline.

Bottom line: until Beachside is restored, all you’re gonna get is this Truck Meet no one else wants (have you seen I-Drive clamoring for it?) There are too many decent beaches (notice we didn’t even talk about the Pinellas beaches?) that folks can. spend money at without the kind of problems even the police chief wants to walk away from.

I figured I-Drive might want that truck meet...

I heard about Orange Crush but didn't know the name.  I guess they're a bunch of '70's era Broncos fans...

Well, Westgate buying the Beachcomber or Americano is the latest piece to that puzzle of restoring A1A- in DB, that is.  Funny how DBS and OB are in decent shape along A1A.

It's so weird.  The former Texan Hotel at 701 South is presently an island.  The City is responsible.  When MTV left, those motels went on life support.  They all sold to developers during the boom.  When it busted, those developers had already razed those structures.  Now, they are empty lots.

Spring Break had become strong before MTV with The College Expo and all the concert events.  It was a thing and that lured MTV to The Plaza Hotel.  It evolved.  But then it became synonymous with MTV.  I mean, Playboy had a presence there, liquor companies, Dr. Scholls, etc.  Even SONY had a booth showcasing tech and music videos of their SONY Music bands...

But the Boardwalk started seeing a decline.  The pool hall was a haven for drug dealing that was tied to that big case in the early '90's that was on Inside Edition.  

In 1999, Hurricane Floyd knocked 1/3 of the pier off.  The The City decided to ditch the cable car lift (maybe prior to this).  But a few years later, the observation tower thingy was scrapped.  And I believe one or two of the arcade spaces at the Boardwalk were razed.  

Maybe the construction of Marriott in the late '80's, where they tore down some of the coquina wall cubicles at the Boardwalk level messed things up even more.  It's like people went there for the Boardwalk, then they allow the Marriot to get built the way it was built and it destroyed part of the very thing that people went there for in the first place,  Go figure.

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Update on @jrs2’s favorite bridge and the proposed Veterans Memorial Plaza next to it :

 

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

New Daytona bridge gets minor repairs; plans take shape for Veterans Memorial Plaza

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2021/06/28/plans-for-new-daytona-beach-veterans-plaza-taking-shape/7748662002/

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On 6/25/2021 at 9:12 PM, spenser1058 said:

How ‘bout a trip in the Wayback Machine to Marco Polo Park, Daytona’s answer to The Mouse:

https://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/marco-polo-park.html

From Florida Backroads Travel

Everybody sing: “Get into the swim and come right in to Marco Polo Park…”
 

wow.  I am floored.  I was very young and do not think we ever went there.  fascinating.

The one thing I do remember from the late '70's is the "Water Boggan" in Ormond, which was a small mountain with concrete slides molded into it with these foam like mats that you would slide down it with.

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On 7/4/2021 at 4:50 PM, spenser1058 said:

Former NBA star Reggie Theus, who played for the Magic in its earliest days, is going to be B-CU’s next athletic director, according to ESPN:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/31756165/bethune-cookman-hire-ex-nba-star-reggie-theus-head-men-basketball-coach-ad

This is big.  Having a big NBA name affiliated at BCU.  Vince Carter had a presence in Daytona with his nice restaurant (now Stonewood) and his legacy gift to Mainland HS.  I wish he had more of a presence.  Maybe Theus being in Daytona will attract those NBA personalities there to make a difference.

On 7/4/2021 at 6:49 PM, AmIReal said:

you won't get a "like" from Spenser on this topic for obvious reasons...LOL...and I think most of us here agree with that.  Very tragic how they've done a poor job of preserving the historic structures in DB...

On 6/29/2021 at 8:22 PM, spenser1058 said:

Let’s visit Mama Foo Foo’s, a fun place for grownups that has filled a long empty space at the Halifax Harbor Marina:

https://amp.news-journalonline.com/amp/7751236002

From The News-Journal 
 

I hope they succeed

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Just up the road in Ormond, a significant downtown church (among whose visitors back in the day included John D. Rockefeller when he was in winter residence at The Casements) will get another hearing before they tear it down against the wishes of many residents.

I think it will still fall to demolition by neglect (it’s funny how real estate interests are ready to run the bulldozers when that’s how they’ll make their greedy bucks but are all too happy to casually overlook flaws when the existing structure may be sold), but at least the mayor (who voted to save it the first time) is trying to represent his constituents here.

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

Ormond Beach calls special meeting about former Riverside Church slated for demolition

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2021/07/08/ormond-beach-mayor-calls-special-meeting-concerning-historic-church/7885201002/

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54 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Just up the road in Ormond, a significant downtown church (among whose visitors back in the day included John D. Rockefeller when he was in winter residence at The Casements) will get another hearing before they tear it down against the wishes of many residents.

I think it will still fall to demolition by neglect (it’s funny how real estate interests are ready to run the bulldozers when that’s how they’ll make their greedy bucks but are all too happy to casually overlook flaws when the existing structure may be sold), but at least the mayor (who voted to save it the first time) is trying to represent his constituents here.

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

Ormond Beach calls special meeting about former Riverside Church slated for demolition

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2021/07/08/ormond-beach-mayor-calls-special-meeting-concerning-historic-church/7885201002/

Florida just loves destroying what little history it has.

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22 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

The Daytona Beach Shores wall of condos:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/videos/business/real-estate/2021/07/01/check-out-daytona-beach-shores-wall-condos/7832433002/
 

From The News Journal 

Let’s see if we can find @jrs2on any of the balconies…

I wonder if The Oceans' residents have their own brand of The Villages going on after hours...

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Brown & Brown, one of the longtime Daytona families, has been redoing much of the previously moribund downtown area.

They are now buying three more buildings and bringing 600 new jobs from a subsidiary elsewhere in the country:

Check out this article from Daytona Beach News-Journal:

Brown & Brown buys 3 downtown Daytona buildings for $14M; expected to bring 600 jobs

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2021/07/16/brown-and-brown-buys-three-downtown-daytona-buildings-for-14-million/7979260002/

From The News Journal 

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