DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A long-awaited demolition in Volusia County is finally near completion as the old Treasure Island building on A1A in Daytona Beach Shores is now reduced to rubble.
“The entire time that I’ve been here, this is something that we’ve been waiting for,” said resident Sandy Murphy.
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The once infamous, abandoned resort is now rocks being carried out by equipment in pieces. Longtime residents across the street like Murphy are overjoyed.
“It’s like a relief to watch the trucks of concrete and steel make their way out of that site,” she said.
The property owners have another month to level the ground to a grassy field.
The shell of the resort sat deteriorating since the 2004 hurricanes. In February, the city finally came to a demolition agreement with the property owners.
City leaders even threw a celebration to which hundreds of residents turned out when demolition finally started.
“The deadline for it was not only to have it down but to have it down before hurricane season June 1,” said Mayor Nancy Miller.
Now, locals are also ready to hear what’s coming next.
“Hopefully, it’ll be at least something entertaining that draws a nice crowd,” said resident Gabrial Lopez.
Mayor Miller said the property will also include the Sunny Shores next door. She said per that agreement with the property owners and future developers, there are two options for the property.
“It’s zoned for either a hotel or a condo. Either they can make them separate like with an adjoining walkway in between, or they can take the whole property and do one or the other,” she said.
That agreement also gives allotted time frames for the developer to get building permits and approvals in each option. Regardless of which option they choose, It could be almost a decade before rebuilding starts.