Daytona Beach Pier to Return to City

With the long-term goal of improving the area, the Daytona Beach City Council has agreed to buy the lease for the Main Street Pier from Diland Corp, which has operated the pier for the past five years. The cost, $1.3 million, comes from the Community Redevelopment Area Fund. With the 84-year-old pier in desperate need of $1.6 million in repairs, the final cost to taxpayers will approach $3 million.

The commissioners' decision Wednesday has to be approved by the pier leaseholder, Diland Corp, and then will return to commissioners at their first meeting in October for a final vote. Commissioner Rob Gilliland said the city has made a crucial investment, and noted the city attracted far more visitors when the pier was in better shape.

"I believe it is the right thing to do," Mayor Glenn Ritchey said. "If we're ever going to move this community forward, we have to look better than we look." The purchase would wipe out the remaining 60 years left on the lease.

The Daytona Beach Pier is an integral part of the cityscape of Daytona Beach. If you have an opinion whether or not the city should buy out the lease, contact your council member before October.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
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