- February 21, 2025
Ormond Beach City Commissioners commended developer Bill Jones for his work on the downtown as they unanimously approved a special exception for a new lighted sculpture at the Art Spotlight gallery building on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Jones, who owns the building at 67 W. Granada Blvd., was seeking the allowance of a 6-foot-tall, 17-foot-wide sculpture spelling the word "art," to be added to the roofline of the gallery. The city categorized the sculpture as a sign, and it would include light bulbs, similar to traditional theater marquee signs.
When the city looked at its downtown plan, flexibility to allow redevelopment was considered, Commissioner Harold Briley said at the meeting.
"They've taken what was 25 years ago, a blighted downtown, and really turned it into a vibrant and beautiful downtown," Briley said.
Commissioner Lori Tolland agreed, saying Jones has personally made the city's downtown a "very vibrant, fun place to live."
"Every time you come here with an outlandish idea of a pig or another LED sign at Fugu, I'm like, 'Oh my gosh,' but it always looks amazing, and I would be 100% in support of it," Tolland said.
In 2019, Jones sought approval for a neon sign of a puffer fish for Fugu. Ultimately, he went in a different direction with the restaurant. Some recent signage requests by Jones for downtown businesses include that of Neighborhood Scoop's and the metal pig sculpture at Pumphouse BBQ.
Jones thanked the commission for allowing him to continue to work on redeveloping the city's downtown. When he first moved to Ormond, the downtown district was an area people drove through to get to the other side of town.
"I'm hoping that if we can put enough things downtown that people will maybe hit the brakes and look at it," Jones said. "That's the big key to this stuff."
Commissioner Kristin Deaton told Jones she appreciated his investment in the downtown.
"It really is a spotlight for our good community and I trust your judgment on this," she said.
Mayor Jason Leslie echoed the commissioner's sentiments.
"Everything that we see is always fantastic," he said.
