'One of the good guys': Daytona Beach Ocean Center Director Tim Riddle has died

DAYTONA BEACH ― Tim Riddle, a congenial, enthusiastic and tireless advocate for Daytona Beach tourism as director of the county-run Ocean Center convention complex, has died.

News of Riddle’s death on Friday was confirmed by Kevin Captain, the county’s Community Information Director. He was 62.

Riddle was attending an out-of-town work-related business conference when he died, Captain said. No cause of death was released.

“Tim was truly an asset to the county and was instrumental in finding ways to keep the Ocean Center alive through the pandemic and was excited to lead its continued growth," said George Recktenwald, Volusia County Manager. "Aside from being an outstanding and dedicated employee, he was a sincere and kind individual, always willing to listen and go out of his way to help someone."

From 2018: Right place, right time: New Ocean Center deputy director looks to maximize venue's potential

Riddle’s combination of intelligence and folksy communication skill was hailed as an asset to the destination’s tourism industry by Lori Campbell Baker, executive director of the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“We’re just stunned by the news,” Baker said. “Tim was that guy who would just light up the room with his positive perspective and sense of humor. If he ever had a bad day, you’d never have known it.

“Through his leadership at the Ocean Center Tim has had a tremendous and positive impact on this destination, and perhaps more importantly, on his many friends and colleagues. We will miss him so much.”

Riddle was a smart, engaging presence in county meetings

A Tennessee native with a prominent Southern accent that fit nicely with his friendly manner, Riddle arrived in Volusia County in August 2017 as deputy director of the Ocean Center and was promoted to head the convention center in June 2020 when former director Don Poor retired.

Riddle came to Daytona Beach from Valdosta, Georgia, where he worked five years as executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes Tourism Authority and Conference Center, the latter a 47,000-square-foot convention venue. By comparison, the Ocean Center has 164,000 square feet of meeting space.

Previously, he worked two years as executive director of Cave City Convention Center & Tourism Commission in Cave City, Kentucky; and 20 years as the executive director of the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, starting in 1990.

In Volusia County, he quickly become a confident presence at meetings such as the quarterly session of the Tourist Development Council, an advisory board to the Volusia County Council on issues related to uses of tourist development tax revenue.

At one TDC meeting, for instance, Riddle offered the following explanation of the finite nature of booking business in the convention and meetings industry, where lost days are never recovered.

“If we were in a business baking cookies,” Riddle told the council, “we could just bake more cookies. But we can’t make more of what we sell, which is time (in the building).”

Riddle hailed as 'full of integrity, one of the good guys'

Former Volusia County Council member Billie Wheeler, who chaired the TDC for a time, on Monday said that she and Riddle developed a friendship that transcended their governmental interactions.

“I worked closely with him the whole time I was on the County Council,” Wheeler said. “What a professional man. He is full of integrity, one of the good guys. This is a tremendous shock. It’s a tremendous loss for Volusia County. It’s just heartbreaking.”

Riddle's impact also was lauded by Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County and a veteran of Daytona Beach’s tourism industry for nearly 60 years.

“There’s no question that I truly admired him for his professionalism, for how hard he worked at the Ocean Center and what he brought forth in the way of new conventions,” Davis said. “He carried himself with honesty and friendliness and did his job extremely well. He’s possibly one of best executives we’ve ever had at the Ocean Center. I’m sad that we lost such a great man.”

Riddle is survived by his wife, Lisa; as well as son Cody Riddle, of Russellville, Kentucky; and daughter Casey Riddle, of Anderson, South Carolina. Information on funeral services has not been released.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach Ocean Center Director Tim Riddle has died at age 62