DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Daytona Beach business restaurant says the closure of one of Volusia County's busiest beach ramps has caused him, and other business owners, to close their doors.

What You Need To Know

  • The iconic beach ramp on International Speedway Boulevard and A1A  is under construction with the goal of refreshing the beach area

  • A small business owner in the area says the ramp's closure has caused stores to close their doors

  • With this ramp being one of the busiest in the county, Sam Tadros, who owns Sam’s Coal Fired Pizza, said it’s a big financial hit

The iconic beach ramp on International Speedway Boulevard and A1A in Daytona Beach is under construction with the goal of refreshing the beach access area.

Sam Tadros is the owner of Sam’s Coal Fired Pizza, one of the businesses on the strip located near the beach ramp.   

“We opened up on April 4, and about a month and a half later, we get a visit from the county saying construction is going to start in two weeks, and they’re closing the road completely,” Tadros said.

The $2.9 Million project by Volusia County will add parking, a new public restroom, new landscaping, underground utilities, sidewalks and lighting. But due to the ongoing construction, Tadros said all businesses on the affected strip had to close their doors.

“We shut down," he said. "If you take a look, every store here is shut down."

He said that initially, business owners were told by the county only half the road would be closed. But he said that wasn’t the case as construction crews fenced off the entire area. 

“If I knew this, if they told us and they were honest with us, I would have never signed the lease. I’m stuck here for a year paying rent, paying utilities, paying insurance, not just on one, but on two spots,” Tadros said, explaining that he recently signed a second lease to launch a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs restaurant along the same strip.

But now all plans are on hold. As construction continues, Tadros said they will have to stay closed. 

“It really hurts the business. We’re not getting any help at all,” he said.

Tadros said every business is closed, including his neighbor Zoltan Kerekes, who has owned the Daytona Shirt Shop for 33 years.

“And look at this whole store that he’s paying rent on. Look at the size of this,” Tadros said.

With this ramp being one of the busiest in the county, he said it’s a big financial hit, especially during high season. Construction started on June 10.

“We missed Bike Week, spring break … we missed all that and Biketoberfest," Tadros said. "And now we missed all summer."

Tadros went to the county asking for help during this time and spoke during a council meeting. 

“I’m hoping that they would help us out," he said. "I know that there’s some money there left over from COVID, which needs to be used by the end of the year. Otherwise, it goes back to the federal government. I’m hoping that they do the right thing. The elected officials, the people that we voted for, step up and help us."

In a statement, Public Works Director Ben Bartlett said:

“Renovation of the ISB ramp is a much-needed upgrade that will benefit the entire community, and we’re expediting construction as much as possible. As with any project, our goal is to ensure minimal disruption to businesses and residents while delivering a high-quality result in the most efficient timeline. To further reduce construction time, we coordinated with the adjacent FDOT road improvement project, and we’re pleased to report that our project remains on schedule.”

Tadros said he is not sure when he will be able to reope,n but hopes that he can be back in business soon. 

“They said February and then they changed it to April … they’re not giving us an exact time,” he said.

According to the county, the entire project is scheduled for completion by April 2025. However, roads, restrooms, and other amenities may become accessible to the public earlier than that date as various construction phases are completed.