The so-called Seabreeze Entertainment District in Daytona Beach has caused police some problems in recent years with rowdy crowds and unruly behavior.Police will not only be on patrol here, they’re opening an actual substation in the heart of the action.”It is an additional layer of not simply protection but just assurance that the police are close by,” Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry said. Henry says Seabreeze Boulevard should be a family-friendly destination within blocks of the beach and oceanfront hotels. But in recent years, mostly late at night, there have been assaults, robberies and fights as crowds spill out from the bars. Beginning last Wednesday, bars are now closing an hour earlier — 2 a.m. instead of 3 a.m. — to appease residents, but recently, city leaders voted to open a police substation on Grandview, just off Seabreeze, right in the mix of all the clubs.”We attract 10 million visitors a year and we have to have many layers to protect our residents. We want to send a message, and I think this sends a clear message to residents, you matter,” Henry said.The city has leased the property and is currently renovating it for police use.It’s within blocks of where a couple was murdered as they rode bicycles home from Bike Week activities in March. Surveillance showed the suspect on Seabreeze in the hours before the murders. He’d allegedly come over from Orlando. City officials say the numerous special events in the area can sometimes draw unwelcome visitors. A significant police presence, they say, in the form of a brick-and-mortar station will be a deterrent and a welcome new neighbor.”Hopefully residents will be able to swing in and talk with them and give insight as to what is going on in the neighborhood and the community if they’ve seen anything,” Henry said.
The so-called Seabreeze Entertainment District in Daytona Beach has caused police some problems in recent years with rowdy crowds and unruly behavior.
Police will not only be on patrol here, they’re opening an actual substation in the heart of the action.
“It is an additional layer of not simply protection but just assurance that the police are close by,” Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry said.
Henry says Seabreeze Boulevard should be a family-friendly destination within blocks of the beach and oceanfront hotels. But in recent years, mostly late at night, there have been assaults, robberies and fights as crowds spill out from the bars.
Beginning last Wednesday, bars are now closing an hour earlier — 2 a.m. instead of 3 a.m. — to appease residents, but recently, city leaders voted to open a police substation on Grandview, just off Seabreeze, right in the mix of all the clubs.
“We attract 10 million visitors a year and we have to have many layers to protect our residents. We want to send a message, and I think this sends a clear message to residents, you matter,” Henry said.
The city has leased the property and is currently renovating it for police use.
It’s within blocks of where a couple was murdered as they rode bicycles home from Bike Week activities in March. Surveillance showed the suspect on Seabreeze in the hours before the murders. He’d allegedly come over from Orlando.
City officials say the numerous special events in the area can sometimes draw unwelcome visitors.
A significant police presence, they say, in the form of a brick-and-mortar station will be a deterrent and a welcome new neighbor.
“Hopefully residents will be able to swing in and talk with them and give insight as to what is going on in the neighborhood and the community if they’ve seen anything,” Henry said.