Welcome to South Daytona

On behalf of my fellow council members and our City employees, welcome to our city that is centrally located on the beautiful Halifax River. South Daytona is known for its small town ambience with easy access to all the amenities of the metropolitan area.  Whether you are visiting, newly located, or are a long-time resident, we hope you’ll take a few moments to familiarize yourself with this information booklet. It is provided at no charge to assist you in learning about our city and the surrounding area. We take a great deal of pride in getting to know our neighbors and consider this form of community outreach unique to a city our size. Welcome!

 William C. Hall,  Mayor

 

Short History of South Daytona

South Daytona, bordered by the Halifax River, was once a town called Blake.  The land was particularly suited to orange cultivation and vegetable gardening, and many of the early settlers profitably engaged in those endeavors. According to the National Archives and Records in Washington, D.C., Blake opened its first post office on August 19, 1878. Around 1886, the first train came as far as Daytona, and ten years later, the line extended to Miami. Soon thereafter, a railroad station was built at Big Tree Road crossing.

By 1926, the towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach and Seabreeze were consolidated into the City of Daytona Beach.  Daytona Beach then proceeded to annex adjacent territory including the Town of Blake.  Unhappy with taxes and appraisals levied, the residents of Blake succeeded in breaking away from Daytona Beach in 1928 to become the incorporated town of South Daytona. Soon after World War II, the town created a Building Department, followed by a Planning & Zoning Board. Builders and developers became interested in the area and the town began to prosper and develop its infrastructure.  South Daytona was the first town in the Halifax Area, after Daytona Beach, to install sanitary sewers. The Town continued to grow and was incorporated as the City of South Daytona on June 18, 1951.

The population has grown to more than 12,700 and encompasses 4 square miles. The city has roughly 45 miles of roadway, 40 miles of sewer lines and 55 miles of water lines. The average elevation is 6.5 feet above sea level.

Council/Manager Government

South Daytona has operated under a Council/Manager form of government since 1980, with the mayor and four council members serving four year, staggered terms. This is the most popular local form of government in the State of Florida and one of the fastest growing in the nation. One of the principles of the Council/Manager form of government is to insure efficient delivery of services without partisan influence.

Under the Council/Manager form of government in South Daytona, the mayor and four council members are elected at large and adopt policies, laws and the annual budget. Serving at their pleasure is a city manager who is professionally trained to carry out the day-to-day administration of all city services. The manager is ultimately responsible for all hiring and disciplinary action of city personnel, administration of capital projects, budget preparation, policy development, consensus building and other assigned duties of the elected officials. The council members have an office available for appointments within the manager’s division, and his or her staff serves as support to the City Council. This office is identified as the hub of the City’s organization and is available for orientation, information and direction.