Daytona Beach Shores reviews 2019 strategic plan; focuses on A1A safety, business occupancy and coastal resilience

The Daytona Beach Shores Commission on March 4 reviewed its 2019 strategic plan at a city workshop, discussing efforts to spur storefront occupancy on the west and north sides of the city, improve pedestrian and vehicle safety on State Road A1A and complete a state-funded vulnerability assessment of coastal infrastructure, officials said.

Mayor Anne Miller said the commission should keep the plan's goals but expand the geographic emphasis. "I would like to include the north part of the city on that as well," Mayor Anne Miller said, speaking about the plan's goal to create a more vibrant, walkable commercial district.

Why it matters: Commissioners framed the update as a checkpoint five years after the original plan and several major disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple hurricanes, that council members said slowed progress. The issues discussed — business recruitment and retention, crosswalk and lighting improvements on A1A, and a resilience study paid for with state money — affect local safety, tourism-dependent businesses and long-term coastal planning.

City Manager Kurt Swartzlander led the workshop and described the near-term work program. Swartzlander said the city received state grant funding for a vulnerability assessment to address flooding and sea-level rise. "We received a hundred and $130,000 grant from the state, to fund this," Kurt Swartzlander said; staff said the work is being done in partnership with the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council and that a final report is likely by the first quarter of 2026.

On economic development, commissioners said long-term factors have limited the city's ability to attract national restaurant and retail chains. Commissioners and staff noted low year-round traffic counts along the beach corridor and repeated setbacks from the pandemic and storms. Commissioner Carr and others said the city has offered incentives and actively marketed empty properties, but that broader market conditions and lease situations limit outcomes.

Pedestrian and vehicle safety along State Road A1A drew extended discussion. Police Chief Fowler described the department's enforcement and outreach work and acknowledged enforcement is challenged by relatively low pedestrian volumes at some crossings. "Hopefully, we still have the reputation," Police Chief Fowler said when asked about the department's safety enforcement.

Staff reported ongoing coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation on a planned A1A repaving that staff said will include permanent in-ground lighting at several crosswalks once repaving is complete; temporary solar-powered flashing signs are in place now at some locations. Staff identified City Hall, Sea Spray and other crossings as project locations and said DOT had agreed to study the Dunlawton U-turn and the nearby S-curve after recent fatalities were raised at the meeting.

The commission also discussed communication and business outreach. Staff and commissioners said the city has added digital tools and services since 2019 — including Shores Alert, an updated city website with email sign-ups, the Pelican newsletter and JustFOIA software for public-records requests — and discussed pursuing a more formal business outreach program, such as periodic business forums and continued use of the Port Orange–South Daytona Chamber annex in the city.

Staff provided two project updates: a parks master plan that staff said will begin after the contract process is complete and is expected to take about six months, and a resilience/vulnerability assessment funded by state grant money and managed with the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council. The manager said the parks master plan will address park facilities and programming and include public meetings for input.

Next steps: Staff said it will draft revised language for the plan's goals where commissioners requested it, hold public meetings to gather resident input and coordinate with FDOT on final A1A design elements. The vulnerability-assessment consultant is expected to deliver a final report in late 2025 or early 2026, staff said.