Daytona Beach CRA pauses Campbell Hotel demolition; asks staff to solicit preservation and redevelopment interest

The Daytona Beach Community Redevelopment Agency on Aug. 20 continued consideration of a resolution to spend $40,268 in Midtown tax-increment funds to contract with Samsula Demolition for demolition and asbestos abatement at 537, 539 and 541 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, and asked staff to solicit preservation and redevelopment interest before returning with a recommendation.

The item drew public comment from residents who urged preservation of the Campbell Hotel, a property identified in local Black-heritage materials and once home to the Stardust Lounge. Sandy Murphy, a Daytona Beach resident, told the agency the hotel was an important Green Book-era lodging and music venue and urged leaders to explore restoration rather than demolition. "You can't save everything," she said, "but you can hang on to some things that matter."

Why it matters: the site sits in Midtown, a focus of the agency's redevelopment strategy. Officials said they want commerce and housing to animate the block but face competing goals — preserving a culturally significant structure versus removing a fire-damaged,…