Groups of hands holding paper cut outs of a family

Rental assistance remains available for people affected by the pandemic

The city is continuing to offer rental assistance to residents impacted with a financial hardship due to the pandemic.

Since the program began a year ago, 1,739 households have been assisted. Daytona Beach residents who previously received rental assistance and continue to experience a financial hardship related to the pandemic, may still qualify and be eligible for additional assistance.

Rental assistance is provided on a first-completed application and first qualified/eligible basis and is for rental housing costs that incurred on or after March 11, 2020.

Appointments must be made to submit completed applications and provide documentation. Appointments can be made by calling:

Central Florida Community Development Corporation
(386) 226-1216
Housing Authority of the City of Daytona Beach
(386) 777-2588
Mid-Florida Housing Partnership Corporation
(386) 274-4441, ext. 301 and 304

Residents can get more information about the rental assistance online.

Annual maintenance of fire hydrants begins Monday

Starting Monday, May 17, residents may notice crews at one of the city's 2,635 fire hydrants and see water running into the street. Some may think this process is wasting water. We are not.

The process of "flushing" fire hydrants is part of a citywide maintenance program to test each hydrant and maintain the integrity of the water system to ensure the highest quality water possible to our customers. Flushing the water system on a regular basis removes sediment from lines and keeps the entire distribution system refreshed.

Hydromax USA is the company performing the annual maintenance and will be easily recognizable in uniforms and marked vehicles. Crews will be working from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday through Sept. 30. For more information or if you have questions about your water, call (386) 671-8815.

CRA annual report is available online

Residents can view the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) annual report for 2020 on the city’s Redevelopment web page. The report highlights projects during the CRA’s fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1, 2019, and ending Sept. 30, 2020. The CRA is responsible for approving the annual CRA budget, funding projects and programs, and implementing four redevelopment plans.

From Downtown’s Beach Street and Magnolia Avenue to Midtown’s Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard projects, the city successfully improved utilities, streets, and sidewalks in these redevelopment areas, with the majority of funds coming from the city and grant funds.

Other highlights include:

The Downtown Farmers’ Market moved from City Island to Magnolia Avenue.
Thirty-three public parking spaces were added behind Beach Street businesses as part of a lease with an option to buy property at 125 S. Palmetto Avenue.

Two more segments of the Sweetheart Trail completed

Construction of the southern part of the city’s Sweetheart Trail has been finished with the completion of two new sections recently.

The sections from Bellevue Avenue to Marina Point Drive and from Marina Point Drive to Orange Avenue have been opened for public use. The southern portion of the trail ends at the city limits at Beville Road.

Now that these two sections have been installed, the four-mile Sweetheart Trail is complete with the exception of the area from Orange Avenue to Bay Street, which is under construction as part of the Riverfront Park transformation.

More information about the Sweetheart Trail can be found online.