EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2018 | Page 12

Beach Driving
HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
W
by Bob Davis
e can put a man on the moon, but we haven’t solved the
beach driving issue!
In the most recent Mid-Florida Marketing and
Research Out-of-State Visitors Profile, 79% of respondents rated
the reason to visit Daytona Beach as the beach. When I review
these reports on a monthly basis, from a tourism standpoint, the
beach and the activity of walking on the beach, remain the golden
goose of Daytona Beach. Let’s face it, if it weren’t for the beach,
what would the economy look like? As we work to diversify our
economy for higher paying jobs, let us not forget how we got here
and our responsibility to evolve the tourism business.
I am a great believer in and activist for educational
opportunities to help our children become better educated and
obtain jobs in all industries, but tourism is my passion, you
might say my New York Giants. When I was asked to share my
thoughts on beach driving, I jumped at the chance because the
future of our region does not live or die with beach driving,
rather tourism and the future of tourism, lives or dies with what
we provide the tourist, how we treat the tourist, and how we
approach the changes that are coming.
So, about beach driving - if you like beach driving, you have a
place where you can take the family, park your car and enjoy the
beach with others who prefer to park on the beach. If you don’t
like beach driving, you have a place where you can park across
the street and enjoy the beach free of cars and trucks.
Now, there are two things out of our control, and the first is
that red sand is moving south down the coast, and no one can
drive on red sand. Case closed. I am not a geologist or one of
those beach doctors, but I am betting in 10 years Mother Nature
is going to take away beach driving, and there is nothing we
can do about that. The second reason involves government, and
recently this has come into the spotlight with HB 631 and the
“Customary Use Ordinances.” Provisions in the bill prevent
local governments from enacting “Customary Use Ordinances,”
except where such ordinances are adopted by a particular process
and affirmed by a court. “Customary Use Ordinances” are local
ordinances that recognize, regulate, and protect existing public
beach access rights based on the legal doctrine of custom, or
“customary use.” In Florida, as the Florida Supreme Court has
stated, customary use rights arise where the public’s use has been
ancient, reasonable, without interruption, and free from dispute.
Daytona Beach fits that description … minus the last one - if you
get my drift. Case closed.
So the reality is that, I think beach driving is going to go away
either by the laws of nature or by the laws of men and women in
our state. So what to do?
Focus on the tourist who is vital to our economy and our
future. We are making great strides, but we need to provide more
quality interactions for the tourist with bars, restaurants and
points of interest beachside. We need to maximize our situation,
whatever it is, and look at our world through the tourist’s eyes.
Folks to the south made a fortune off the sea turtle population
by promoting it and teaching kids about the animals. Delray
Beach, made a conscious effort to change the feel of the town for
residents and tourists alike. We need to do three things: Look
around and promote what we have, be proud of it, and add to it
in simple ways. Commit to the fact that beach driving is going
away some day and we need to be ready for that. And finally,
as my good friend, Jim Murrill (Manager at Adam’s Mark) said,
“Too much talk - live in the moment.”
Robert “Bob” Davis of Port Orange is the president
and chief executive officer of the Lodging &
Hospitality Association of Volusia County. The
self-proclaimed “Mouth of the South” has been a
passionate advocate for the area’s tourism industry,
and those who keep it running, for more than
50 years.
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