Daytona's beachside has been undergoing improvements 'street by street, block by block.'

DAYTONA BEACH — Weathered and timeworn metal sign frame structures turned into colorful public art. Blighted back alleyways constantly littered with trash and junk finally cleaned up. Sun-baked traffic light poles getting fresh coats of black paint.

These are beachside projects tackled by city government workers over the past few years.

They might seem like small improvements, but for the people who live near them, they're long-awaited refurbishment and reassurance the city cares about them and their neighborhood.

"It helps us to understand and see we have support and a backup," said beachside resident Brad Gonzalez. "That gives us the drive to improve our community even more."

The improvements, and more like them, began with a commitment over three years ago from Mayor Derrick Henry to work with Seabreeze neighborhood residents on remedying the chronic problems making their beachside community look and feel blighted.

"Sometimes when you work with the community, you get something better than you thought," Henry said as he reported on the improvements during the March 5 City Commission meeting.

The project went so well that the mayor wants to duplicate it now and do the same thing in other areas of Daytona Beach.

"I'm ready for the next community and neighborhood because beautification is something we should take as a priority all across the city," Henry said.

Little projects add up to big changes

The mayor's Beachside Action Committee was established at the beginning of 2021. The aim was to pursue improvements that could be made relatively quickly, easily, and inexpensively.

Most of the projects were approved and planned in 2021, and the goal was to complete them as quickly as possible. Despite some supply chain challenges and tropical storms, about a dozen projects were completed in 2022 and 2023.

One project involved a colorful outdoor welcome sign that alerted passersby that road beautification work was starting late last year on East International Speedway Boulevard. The sign featured three large palm trees and said "Welcome to our beachside."

The sign stationed at the city's main gateway to the beach was also placed there to give people hope that beachside blight is being addressed.

A second project grew out of a plan to remove large metal sign frames along Seabreeze Boulevard in early 2021. The towering frames were paint-starved and looking beat up.

An out-of-the-box suggestion was to repurpose them as public art. The sign frames now have ocean-themed pictures of turtles, fish and a sunrise. They're covered in durable paint that will need minimal touching up.

Another project centered on the unsightly trash scattered around beachside alleys and the rear of some businesses. Pictures before work got underway show stacks of wood, piles of trash bags, cardboard boxes, overturned trash cans, and buildings with graffiti and scattered junk.

"That looks horrible. We don't want to look like that," Henry said when he saw photos of the alleys and side streets before they were cleaned up.

In early 2021, the Public Works division began improving trash pickup and litter removal at businesses. Code Enforcement officers prioritized the back alleys of Seabreeze Boulevard bars and commercial Dumpster enclosures.

After some time passed, the junk and trash vanished, trash cans were neatly lined up, and pressure washing and paint made the buildings look much better.

"That's a remarkable difference," Henry said when he saw the post-cleanup photos.

Improvements to sidewalks, curbs, signs and park

In the middle of 2021, the city started a new pressure washing and maintenance program that focused on beachside sidewalks and curbs. Repairs improved pedestrian safety, and the sidewalks and curbs were left with a much cleaner, refreshed look.

The sidewalk repairs were also done in a way that allowed much-needed shade trees to remain in place.

Sidewalks along Seabreeze Boulevard also got drainable landscape covers for palm trees planted in those walkways. The gray-colored covers give pedestrians a smoother and safer surface to walk near, and they reduce stormwater debris.

Faded, damaged and vandalized street signs and beach access signs were also replaced.

Colin's Park also received new playground equipment including swings, landscaping, signs, sidewalks, picnic tables and parking. The pavilion received much-needed paint and picnic tables, and new benches were also added.

Residents say the improvements brought families back to the riverfront park off of University Boulevard.

Neighbors working together

A parade of Seabreeze Boulevard-area residents came to the March 5 City Commission meeting to take turns at the podium thanking Henry, but the mayor said others also deserve credit.

"It's not about me," Henry said. "It's about beachside residents who stood up and decided they wanted to participate."

The mayor said "high praise" is also due to city staff members who partnered "with the residents to work day by day, street by street, block by block to beautify the beachside."

Residents said they're grateful for the improvements.

"Neighborhoods with a strong sense of place help people to flourish," Joyce Case said.

When Case moved to her Seabreeze-area neighborhood in 2001, she said there were a lot of investment properties and not a lot of owner-occupied homes. But she couldn't resist her 1939 home two blocks from the beach, so she took a chance.

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Slowly but surely, she's seen improvements. First came traffic calmers, then improved code enforcement, and then an earlier bar closing time. A neighborhood watch group formed, a police department substation was opened, and various efforts have been made to reduce late-night problems generated by Seabreeze Boulevard bars.

Case said the improvements have "inspired neighbors to work together."

You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Blighted Daytona beachside undergoing some revitalization and repairs