TPL Sells Halifax Riverfront Park To Daytona Beach

DAYTONA BEACH, FL, 10/29/2009: The 1.5 acre Halifax Riverfront Park is being sold to the city of Daytona Beach and will be permanently protected rather than developed, The Trust for Public Land(TPL) announced today.

The site, located just south of Main Street on the beach side of the Intracoastal Waterway, had been scheduled to be the home of a 40-unit condominium development until it was purchased by TPL last summer.

“We’re happy that we’ve been able to protect this site from development and preserve it as open space for the community to enjoy,” said Susan Grandin, Director of TPL’s Northeast Florida program. “This will be a bookend to the famous Daytona Beach Pier which is 8 blocks east on Main Street.”

TPL bought the property for $2.5 million last July 24 from a corporation called Prime Equities and sold it to city for the same price. The city had been leasing it from TPL, but will now own the property.

Daytona Beach Mayor Glenn Ritchey said, “We were fortunate to be able to protect riverfront access for current and future generations. Luckily, we have the resources and the land was available because of the economic downtown. It is the right thing to do and the citizens of Daytona Beach will enjoy it.”

TPL is a national land conservation organization which conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and historic sites, ensuring livable communities for generations. Since its founding 1972, TPL has protected more than 2.5 million acres in 47 states, including more than 200,000 acres in Florida.