Commission approves Pearl Beach Club hotel rezoning; 24-story project clears second reading 6-1

The Daytona Beach City Commission on Aug. 20 approved a rezoning and planned-district agreement to allow construction of the Pearl Beach Club, a proposed 24-story, 260-room, five-star hotel at 1299 South Atlantic Avenue. The ordinance passed on second reading with a 6-1 tally.

Applicant representatives presented a short video and architectural overview describing a mixed-use hotel with a six-story podium, upper-floor guest rooms, a seventh-floor pool deck and rooftop bar, public restaurant space on the ground floor and landscape features. Architect Matthew Picard described the project as a 24-story, 5-star hotel with public-facing restaurant and pool amenities open to visitors and residents. The applicant said the project includes podium landscaping, rooftop gathering space and public access points.

Speakers at the public hearing included members of the hospitality business community and local institutions. Several hospitality-sector presenters — including Lucinda Guadio (a local hotelier) and Ruth Smith (chair of Bethune-Cookman Universitys hospitality management department) — spoke in favor, highlighting anticipated job creation, student internship opportunities for local hospitality programs and potential tourism revenue. David Robinson of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce also endorsed the project.

Other residents and nearby property owners asked questions focused primarily on construction impacts, traffic, parking, and site-construction safety. Edwin Peck, a local general contractor, described construction sequencing, suggested low-vibration piling methods (auger piles) and said contractors would coordinate construction logistics and safety plans to avoid undue disruption. Nearby condominium representatives raised concerns about staging and temporary traffic impacts on South Atlantic Avenue during construction.

After discussion commissioners cited the projects potential to expand the citys upscale lodging inventory and create hospitality workforce opportunities. The final vote was 6-1 in favor; one commissioner voted no. The approval authorizes the mayor and city clerk to execute the planned-district agreement and requires the applicant to meet the agreements conditions and standard permitting processes. No party raised an appeal or filed a quasi-judicial objection on the record at the hearing.

The planned-district agreement obligates the developer to comply with site-control and construction requirements and to coordinate required permits with city staff. Construction sequencing, traffic-control plans, and final permitting are outstanding items the developer must address with city departments before building permits are issued.