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December 19, 2003 
Holly Smith
Community Information Specialist 

OCEAN CENTER EXPANSION PROJECT GROUNDBREAKING

A major remaining piece of the multi-phase redevelopment of the core beachside area of Daytona Beach is about to get under way. County, city and tourism officials broke ground December 19 on a $45-million expansion of the Ocean Center.

The public event signaled the start of the three-year massive expansion project. The project is being marketed to convention planners across the country as “At the corner of Yesterday and Today, the expansion of the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.”

"This expansion is going to move us to a larger, more lucrative convention and meeting market,” said Volusia County Council Chair Frank Bruno. “As one of the final elements of redevelopment, it also will help us to promote the area as a family destination.”

In 1994, the County and the City of Daytona Beach embarked on Take Park II – a joint effort between local governments, the Daytona Beach Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce and private entities to fund and develop a master plan for the area, Bruno said. The goal of the plan is to bring more convention delegates to the Ocean Center. Completed plan elements include creation of more quality hotel rooms, development of additional family entertainment to include shopping and dining venues, and construction of additional parking facilities. Boardwalk redevelopment and Ocean Center expansion are the remaining pieces of the plan. 

“When the final pieces are in place, we will have a high quality complex that will meet the entertainment needs of Volusia County citizens and Central Florida,” Bruno said. “It also will meet the convention needs of groups around the nation.” 

The expansion will extend the west side of the Ocean Center. This will close Wild Olive and Oleander avenues between Auditorium Boulevard and Earl Street, according to Rick Hamilton, Ocean Center Director. The front of the building will be on Auditorium Boulevard. The adjoining parking area will cover two blocks between Wild Olive and Hollywood avenues and will front Main Street. 

The expansion will provide an additional 100,000 square feet of exhibit and 40,000 square feet of meeting space, Hamilton said. It also will have a 30,000-square-foot ballroom and additional parking.

In 1999, the County began purchasing structures and land south and west of the Ocean Center. The County Council increased the resort tax by 1 percent in July to help fund the project. The Ocean Center’s share of the tax was increased from 2-3 percent. The remaining 3 percent is distributed to advertising authorities, Hamilton explained. 

The project is expected to cost about $45 million including the parking area and professional fees. Construction of the parking area will begin after the special event season in March and may take a year to complete. Work on the expansion will follow, Hamilton said. 

Thompson, Ventulett, Stainbeck, and Associates, Inc., Atlanta, and DJ Designs, Daytona Beach, are the project architects. Harden Construction Co., Atlanta, and Peck and Associates, Daytona Beach, have been selected as the construction contractors.

Floor plans and an artist’s rendering of the project are not complete, Hamilton said. 

For more information, please contact Hamilton at (386) 254-4500.

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Volusia County, Florida.