- April 4, 2025
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It's official — Ormond Beach's dog-friendly beach is here to stay.
On Tuesday, April 1, the Volusia County Council approved making the pilot program permanent in a 5-0 vote. County Councilmen Jake Johansson and Don Dempsey were absent.
In July 2023, the County Council approved the pilot program, which allowed dogs on a 0.6-mile stretch of beach in Ormond between Milsap Road and Rockefeller Drive. The program launched on Nov. 1, 2023, with funding help from Daytona Dog Beach Inc. and local philanthropists Nancy and Lowell Lohman.
County Councilman Troy Kent has championed the pilot from inception. The "dog days of summer are almost here," he said.
"This is proof, council, that we can set up a common sense program with reasonable expectations for our community members to do, and it can work," Kent said. "This was a 36-year ban. This is a big deal, and this is part of why I ran for this seat — to start to give the beach back to the residents of Volusia County, and this program is not only giving it back to the residents, but to our visitors as well."
Kent mentioned the support from the community, including the letters in favor of the dog beach from the Ormond Beach City Commission, Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce, Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce, as well as the over 3,600 signatures received by Daytona Dog Beach in its petition.
In the county presentation, staff noted that 12,883 dogs have been observed on the dog beach, which has been staffed by the county's Animal Services division for 31 hours a week. No dog bites or aggressive behaviors have been reported.
As far as compliance goes, the county reported 326 incidents of dogs being off-leash and 15 dog waste instances, nearly all of which gained compliance through education.
The initial cost of the program, however, did exceed the donations received. The Lohmans donated $100,000 for the dog beach and Daytona Dog Beach Inc., gave over $8,000 for dog waste bag stations and provided volunteers, logging over 1,200 hours.
The county reported that the program cost $123,356, but that continuing annual costs are anticipated to be lower, as staff can be reduced to a 50% part-time basis based on the low number of rule violations.
Councilman Matt Reinhart said he's received "overwhelming support" for the dog beach.
"It makes us unique, even more as a county," he said.
Councilman Danny Robins submitted a letter of support into the record, addressed to Nanette McKeel Petrella, president of Daytona Dog Beach.
"Since day one yourself, volunteers, and the Daytona Dog Beach organization has shown tremendous dedication and have proven to be an exemplary model of how a true partnership should be," he wrote, adding that he was open to considering the organization's efforts to expand the program.
Petrella said the council's vote to continue the pilot "restores people's faith that you are listening to the community."
"It will serve as an acknowledgement to the many people who were willing to give time, talents and gifts to bring a dog friendly beach to reality," she said. "They represent the best among us — those who want to step up and take positive action to contribute to our community, enhancing the quality of life for all."
Council Chair Jeff Brower said the reason the pilot was a success was because of Daytona Dog Beach and the Lohmans. He's recently received requests for expanding other areas of the beach to dogs.
"We'll see what the future holds," Brower said.
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