DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – By the time the doors opened for the first time on Wednesday, about 100 people were in line to check out the new Daytona Aquarium. It was a welcomed sight for city officials who have been working to get new businesses to move into the area.
“They’ll come in here and see everything from little frogs to alligators right up to seahorses to sharks,” said Cliff Grosvenor, aquarium owner.
Grosvenor is a local developer who picked the spot for the aquarium in an old department store located in an older strip mall. It’s just off International Speedway Boulevard - one of the main drags in tow, but the city has been working to revitalize and bring business into the corridor near Nova Road and down to the beach.
This aquarium is the first large business to open here in years.
“You need something like this to draw individuals, to draw developers, something that’s going to have folks want to come here. They’re going to want to build around this and this is just the catalyst for what we’re expecting to happen,” commissioner Paula Reed said.
It was welcomed by residents, too.
“We’ve been wanting to have something that families can go do other than the beach, mini put-put and Disney World. So for the east side where we live, this is amazing,” Christina Rodrigues said.
Grosvenor said it is just the beginning for what they plan to do in the location, too.
“In the future we’re going to have a rain forest that’s going to come probably a year from now or so and we’re just going to keep adding multiple things for the next ten years probably,” he said.
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