It's not the first time Brower's advocacy for beach driving has caused discord on the council.īrower was a lifeguard in Daytona Beach in his youth and has called for the entire coastline to be reopened to vehicles. More background: County chair proposes eliminating beach driving tolls for Volusia residents "Chair, somebody has to pay for this."Ģ022 Election: Port Orange's Chase Tramont will run for county council seat Billie Wheeler will vacateĮxclusive video: Floating billboard now cruising Atlantic Ocean along Volusia County shores It always has and it always will, especially as we are growing," Robins said. "Although I like beach driving, it does have associated costs that go with it. "I’m not interested in shifting costs to taxpayers that can be covered by user fees," Wheeler said. "I have heard so many times $25 is not a whole lot, and it may not be - but it is to a hell of a lot of my constituents," Post said.Ĭouncilwoman Billie Wheeler said she looked forward to having a discussion, but it made sense to charge those who use the beach fees to maintain it, a point also made by Councilman Ben Johnson.
#Drive ahead play for free for free#
And in the context of government operations, 'free' just means someone else is paying the price."Ĭouncilwoman Heather Post has repeatedly called for free beach access for locals and threw her support behind Brower's idea. "When does ‘free’ become too expensive? Nothing in life is free. "What’s next? Hamburgers and hot dogs and relish at the ramps?" Robin asked. Robins called free beach passes "wishful thinking." "No, but it tells us that we are for our residents." Is that going to kill somebody?" Brower asked. He called it a "Volusia First" idea that would help revitalize struggling areas of the beachside. "It’s part of a huge discussion of what we need to do in Volusia County to attract and keep young people and keep our workforce," Brower said Tuesday. It required an additional $9.6 million from the general fund this fiscal year, according to a county spokesman.įree beach driving called a 'Volusia First' ideaīrower floated the idea to eliminate beach driving fees for locals in March and explained his reasoning was in line with Pensacola businessman Quint Studer’s vision of crafting a vibrant community. Daily passes added $4.6 million in 2019 and $3.1 million in 2020.Ĭounty staff expect beach toll revenue to recover from pandemic lows and bring in nearly $6.8 million in 2021, but maintaining the beaches costs more than that. However, daily passes make the total cost of Brower's proposal trickier to calculate, since Volusia County doesn't retain driver license data from those sales. Annual passes cost $25 for residents, while daily passes are $20 regardless of residency.Īnnual passes sold to county residents generated about $1 million per year in the past three years. More: Volusia County to look at adding more dog beachesīrower had asked to schedule a workshop to explore eliminating beach driving fees for Volusia County residents. Sold! Volusia County votes to buy $1 million land along Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail "We should be able to talk about it and let the public hear," Brower said, adamant that he was working on behalf of voters.Ĭatch up: Council delays Brower's proposal to sell naming rights to Volusia beach approaches Every seat but Brower's could be up for grabs in 2022 if census data results in districts changing. There is no room in here any longer for a bully," Robins said.īrower rejected the accusations and quipped the 2022 campaign season appeared to be underway. Everyone, including staff, is not subservient to you and the beach crowd. Robins, who in November was elected to the county council for the first time along with Brower, said Brower should spend less time pandering to special interests and radicals on Facebook, and more time building consensus by leading the council. "Talk about 'bought and paid for' and 'pay to play,' something you campaigned - and we all campaigned - so hard on." Welcome to the swamp," Robins said from the dais Tuesday. "You are feeding your base support, only with other people’s money. View Gallery: Jeep Beach hits Hard Rock Hotel for "Jeeps At the Rock" Daytona BeachĭELAND - Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower’s push to eliminate beach tolls for locals has drawn the ire of some of his fellow councilmembers, with Councilman Danny Robins accusing Brower of engaging in "pay to play" so the chair's friends can drive on the beach for free.
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