- October 11, 2024
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In March, the Volusia County Council voted 5-2 to continue exploring a dog-friendly beach pilot program in Ormond Beach. The matter will come before the council again on July 11.
Initially, the council planned a pilot program near Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park in Ormond-by-the-Sea — a decision the Ormond Beach City Commission indicated its support for via a letter to the council.
But after concerns about whether the pilot program could imperil the county’s permit allowing beach driving, the council opted to consider an alternate test area in Ormond, outside of a natural beach management area.
Locally, the BMA begins at Granada Boulevard and runs north to the Volusia-Flagler County line.
The council then discussed a proposal to implement the pilot program on either the stretch of beach from Milsap Road to Rockefeller Drive or a shorter stretch from Cardinal Drive to Rockefeller Drive.
The Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce supports a one-year pilot program in Ormond Beach, its board of directors wrote in a June 26 letter to County Council Chair Jeff Brower.
“We believe implementing a Dog-Friendly Beach pilot program in Ormond Beach would enhance our community’s livability and attractiveness as a tourist destination,” the letter states. “It aligns with the values of inclusivity and responsible pet ownership while fostering a stronger sense of community among residents.”
A year, the chamber stated, would give the county enough time to evaluate the program’s effectiveness and address concerns to determine its longterm viability and impact on beachgoers.
Dogs have been largely banned on Volusia County beaches since the county took over beach regulation in 1987.
They are allowed in only two beach parks, both in the south end of the county: Smyrna Dunes Park, in New Smyrna Beach; and Lighthouse Point Park, in Ponce Inlet.
At a June 6 Ormond Beach City Commission meeting, Commissioner Harold Briley said he had received several emails from unit owners of the Symphony Beach Club, a condo-hotel located south of the Rockefeller beach approach, expressing concerns about dogs on the beach.
“This is, number one, a county issue,” Briley said.
He asked his fellow commissioners if anybody wanted to revisit their support for the idea, or, particularly, the location of the proposed pilot program.
Mayor Bill Partington noted that the commission had supported the general concept of a dog-friendly test area, and recommended Bicentennial Park.
But it’s a county issue at the end of the day, he said at the meeting.
“It’s a strange situation that instead of picking the most logical, commonsense spot for it, they chose (a location) in front of people’s homes,” Partington said. “I don’t think it’s the correct place for it.”
The Ormond Beach City Commission unanimously approved amendments to its code of ordinances regarding dangerous dogs at its meeting on June 6, adding a classification of “aggressive dog” for dogs that severely injure or kill another domestic animal.
The amendments, approved via the meeting’s consent agenda, state that if a dog previously deemed dangerous — one that seriously injures or kills another domestic animal while off its owner’s property, more than once — is found at large, it shall be impounded. The amendments also increase the fines for violations of the ordinance to $5,000.
The ordinance now states that if the dog is impounded, its owners are “responsible for the full cost of impoundment as charged by the shelter.”
City Attorney Randy Hayes stated in a city memo that, in general, the city doesn’t have a “serious problem” with aggressive or dangerous dogs, and that in the last 15 years, the city hasn’t had more than two such cases in the same year, with most years having one or no cases.
Ormond Beach’s free “Summer Sounds” concert series will begin on Friday, July 14, with the Cool Breeze band, which plays seaside soul music, according to a city notice. There will be two other concerts in the series this summer:
The concert series is presented by the city’s Department of Leisure Services, and citizens are advised to bring their own lawn chair or blanket. Concerts will take place from 6-8 p.m. at The Casements’ north lawn, at 25 Riverside Drive.
The city of Ormond Beach will celebrate Independence Day with its free annual event featuring fireworks on Tuesday, July 4, at Rockefeller Gardens, located at 26 Riverside Drive.
The celebration will begin at 8 p.m. Fireworks are scheduled to occur at 9 p.m.
Citizens can park for free at the lot behind City Hall, The Casements parking lot and Fortunato Park. The parking area on South Beach St. next to Cassen Park will be closed, according to a city notice.
Those with handicapped parking permits may park at the Bailey Riverbridge Gardens lot on the northeast corner of Granada Boulevard and on North Beach Street.
The city will provide a free shuttle service from 7:30-9:45 p.m. Starting at 7 p.m., the following streets will close: South Beach Street from Granada Boulevard to Mound Avenue; Grove Street from Tomoka Avenue to Division Avenue; and New Britain Avenue at North Beach Street.
