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Daytona Beach advisory board hears Brownfields update as downtown and landfill cleanup advance
Summary
Cobb Cole attorneys told the Brownfields advisory board that recent state law changes and tax-credit incentives are accelerating cleanups; several local sites — including a Bethune-Cookman property, downtown parcels and the Clyde Morris landfill — are moving toward closure or redevelopment in 2026.
Daytona Beach — Attorneys from Cobb Cole updated the city’s Brownfields advisory board on legislative changes, state incentives and progress at several local cleanup sites, saying the changes could speed environmental closure and redevelopment.
"Now the word brownfield means a property that has a contamination issue that's preventing it from being redeveloped," Michael Schnauss Tyler of Cobb Cole told the board during the December meeting. He and colleague Jessica Gao said changes that took effect July 1 altered who can enter the state Brownfields program and clarified incentives tied to site cleanup.
Why it matters: Brownfields agreements let property owners accept a formal cleanup pathway in exchange for regulatory certainty and access to state tax credits that can be sold to private buyers. The board was told the program’s expanded use and larger annual tax-credit cap could make redevelopment of stalled downtown lots and large parcels more financially viable.
What the board was told
Statutory changes and incentives — Tyler summarized statutory shifts, including the Brownfield Site Rehabilitation Agreement (BISRA) framework and the Site Rehabilitation Completion Order (SRCO) bonus. He said the Florida voluntary cleanup tax-credit program produces transferable certificates that can be sold for cash, and noted the legislature raised the annual tax-credit pool from $10 million to $35 million. "If there is a mixed-use development that includes affordable housing in it, you can get your sales tax reimbursed," Tyler said, describing stacked incentives that can combine with job-creation agreements handled through the Florida Department of Commerce.
Site-by-site status
833 West ISB (Bethune-Cookman University): Tyler said DEP has approved discontinuing groundwater monitoring and that a declaration of restrictive covenants is under DEP review; he said the site is at the final step and the team anticipates a no-further-action/site-completion letter early in 2026.
218 West ISB (downtown apartment project): Jessica Gao said the 6.9-acre site (former First Baptist and adjacent parcels) shows limited, historic soil impacts tied to early road treatments; there were no groundwater impacts in recent testing. Gao said the developer will submit a soil-management plan and staff expect site-plan approval "any day now," with construction targeted in the first quarter of 2026. The project will include guaranteed workforce-housing units under an agreement with the city.
141 Bay Street (Burgoyne Block): Gao said testing showed limited soil impacts similar to nearby parcels and that, assuming DEP approves the cleanup plan, implementation is planned for 2026.
645 North Atlantic Avenue (beachside gas station / Ramfelt site): Tyler described a groundwater plume tied to historic piping rather than current tanks. DEP and the Department of Transportation will use mapped groundwater restrictions to prevent well installation in affected areas — including a portion of A1A — and Tyler said closure in the state and DOT databases is a 2026 objective.
Clyde Morris Landfill (Bellevue extension): The presenters said the city has been working on cleanup for more than a decade. They reported a recent DEP approval for the northern cleanup report and described temporary work that placed more than 300 truckloads of clean fill to create parking supporting the CCE at Hyatt Brown Center for Aerospace Technology. A site plan for permanent parking on a southern parcel is with the city, and further implementation will follow that approval.
Board questions and next steps
Board members asked about nonprofit and municipal eligibility for credits; Tyler said nonprofits, local governments and educational institutions can participate and may sell certificates to corporations with Florida corporate income tax liability. He urged the board to use the Brownfields tools to pursue redevelopment opportunities and provided DEP contacts for further technical questions.
No formal action was taken by the board on any single site at the meeting; work plans and DEP reviews remain the mechanism for closure and regulatory sign-off.
