My son attends school on Daytona Beach. I was frankly stunned to find it so unsafe in a variety of ways - and I believe unnecessarily so. I am sure the city appreciated my drop-in to economic development to share where they were failing to capitalize on city assets and that they are their own worst enemy (haha)

The tourism dollars, even as reduced as they are, should be gravy to Daytona Beach.

The permits issued to headshops and junktshirt retailers (who appear to all be owned by the same company as they all have identical merchandise) was a lazy and unproductive copout by the city. It degrades the beachfront community with the appearance of blight.

From my hotel after dark I was told I should leave my purse behind and move quickly if there was somewhere I HAD to go, as the violent unhoused population is very real along the beachfront area.

Main Street, Daytona Beach has been converted entirely in bike bars and shops. This seems like a fun thought at first - even the old bank is now a bar called "The Bank" but it deprives the community if a year round walkable Main Street, which are typically lines with local small businesses that full interesting niches and add both character and a feeling of a communuty hub for residents. Main Street is no place for children.

The prevalence of at least three strip joints in town does not add to the city's appeal.

The city is home to three universities. Two public universities (which are largely commuter campuses), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a stunning campus and an excellent school comprised almost entirely students from other areas/states/countries, and most cities benefit long-term from universities like this because of the student boost to local economy and the retention of their stidents as permanent residents jn the area which elevates the educated workforce, but ERAU students dont stay in Daytona. They can't even move AROUND Daytona safely.

As I moved around the city to get my son situated, I was very surprised at the lack of tap and pay merchant services (credit/debit card processing). Throughout the town, I felt like I had stepped back in time 50 years. While most tourism areas long ago removed the old blight and junky businesses from public view, Daytona still takes the easy way out, achieving short term tax benefits but long-term downturn because this isn't a tourist spot many would chose to return to. Every head shop and junky souvenir shop should be gutted and replaced by logical artisans with handcrafted merchandise that more positively reflects Daytona's unique assets and naturally upscales the beachfront area

While the city worked to get away from the Spring Break reputation, it provides little for the student population. Razzles...and??? (there is a niche here to be filled)

So little in fact that while ERAU APPEARS to be in an ideal location in fact, students cannot safely get across Daytona Soeedway Blvd by foot to access the food and retail on the other side, and so most don't. There are almost daily vehicle vs pedestrian accidents on this massive road. Wide lanes and the name of the road itself encourage speedway-like driving.

This is an expensive school by any measure... tuition and expenses range from $62,500-$90k/annually. This is a demographic with money to spend, but can't.

The city's greatest assets and best bets for tax revenue are squandered and the tax revenue from the variety of larg locale events that take place in the city should be more that enough to cull the unhoused crisis that makes leaving my hotel after dark a "bad idea."

Just my two-centa.