Volusia beach barrier too wide
DAYTONA BEACH — There’s another problem with the carblocking barriers Volusia County put in the sand behind the Hard Rock Hotel.
Not only are the wooden poles too tall and too ugly in the opinion of some, the space they mark off as a no-driving zone is wider than it’s supposed to be.
It’s an “unacceptable” gaffe, County Chair Ed Kelley said, but it’s one that will be corrected by month’s end. Hard Rock management has agreed to pay to put up a new batch of barriers by the end of April that are more in line with the theme of the resort and will also be the correct distance apart.
DeLand-based contractor CFB Outdoors installed telephone poles that stand 10 feet above the sand behind the Hard Rock on March 26. The poles are intended to keep vehicular traffic off 410 feet of beach, as specified in a controversial agreement worked out in 2015 between the county and developer Summit Hospitality. Measurements taken by The News-Journal found that the poles are 428 feet apart.
The blunder — spotted this week by Paul Zimmerman, president of the beach driving advocacy group Sons of the Beach — was the result of the contractor placing the poles at the north and south borders of the Hard Rock property, which exceeds 410 feet. County spokeswoman Joanne Magley vowed it won’t happen when new barriers are put up.
“To assure the public that the exact area restricting vehicle access is compliant with the approved ordinance, the county manager has directed that the new markers are to be surveyed at the time of install,” she wrote in an email.
Kelley had been told by county officials that the distance between the poles is about 420 feet. Either way, he said, “it’s unacceptable” and “sad that this happened.”
“People make mistakes, but to be off by 20 feet or 10 feet? That’s a pretty significant number,” he said. “If you build your house 20 feet over the property line, they will make you tear it down.”
It’s unclear what the hotel will put in place of the wooden posts. Abbas Abdulhussein, managing partner with hotel developer Summit Hospitality, declined to comment.
County Manager Jim Dinneen did not respond to phone calls. Magley confirmed that the Hard Rock would be involved in the design of the new markers, which should go up by the end of the April.
She added that staff is researching various styles and materials for new or retrofitted markers that would withstand tides and winds.
The poles now in place cost the county $4,180, plus the price of labor, which the county won’t know until it receives an invoice, Magley said. A representative with CFB Outdoors also couldn’t provide a figure for labor costs.