Flagler Beach - Cool Town

About 20 miles north from Daytona Beach on A1A, you come upon Flagler Beach – a small beach town with a population around 5000.

Where the beach in Daytona is expansive with hard pale sand, the Flagler beach is much more narrow, and reddish in color. This seaside community is less crowded than its beachy neighbors, with fabulous fishing opportunities. The Flagler Municipal Pier is a good place for recreational fishing and other ocean activities. 

Flagler Beach is named after Henry Flagler, oil tycoon and Florida railroad developer, who was a key figure in the development of East Florida as resort and vacation destinations.

Flagler Beach has been voted one of America's 15 Coolest Small Towns list for seven consecutive years, and the only Florida town to receive this title! With its distinct personality, a little flair, its own style and pace, Flagler Beach demands a spot on that list, which is culled from almost 1000 small towns in the US.

What do you get when you go to Flagler? No condo skyline! Unpopulated beaches. Affordable hotels and motels. East-facing mom-and-pop restaurants where you can relax while gazing out onto the ocean. 

The aforementioned Flagler Pier is a historic structure, built in 1928. The Flagler Beach Pier is a great spot to capture some beautiful photographs—or some local fish. The pier has its own bait shop that sits on the entrance with tons of supplies available for rent. The pier is also a great place to watch surfers and families hanging out on the beach. For lunch, try one of the fun little restaurants in the vicinity.

Thirty-eight miles up A1A, along the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, is St. Augustine. From Flagler Beach, it’s a great day trip with lots to explore in St. Augustine, as well as along the way: The research center Marineland Dolphin Adventure. 

And don’t miss Bulow Plantation Ruins – a historical site that stands as a monument to the rise and fall of Florida Sugar Plantations in the early 19^th century. 

So, whether you live along the Fun Coast or are just visiting, make sure to check out the charms of Flagler Beach! 

Referrals are how we build our business, and it is an honor to help your friends and family with their real estate needs.

Creative Florida Living 

Janet Sells 

Mutt Strutt

Get ready for the 6^th Annual Mutt Strutt to benefit the Halifax Humane Society! You and your dog can get your paws in the sand and participate in the 5K walk on the Daytona Beach beach – April 2, 2016!

 Put Your Paws in The Sand!

The goal for this event is to have over 2,000 participants on the beach and to raise over $50,000 for the Halifax Humane Society animals. 

This is a non-competitive run or walk. Entry to the event is free, but if you register for $25, you receive a T-shirt and a drink ticket (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). Also, you and your friends can form a fundraising team to support animals in need. Publish your goals on Facebook and Twitter and link to the HHS Facebook Page 

So take advantage of the only day during the year that you can have your dogs on the Daytona beach! All pets must be leashed. 

Registration opens at 8AM at the Daytona Bandshell. The race starts at 9AM and goes till noon. You can park in the Ocean Walk Garage across A1A. 

Register here

 Referrals are how we build our business, and it is an honor to help your friends and family with their real estate needs.

Creative Florida Living  * Janet Sells

Are you a Snow Bird Wanna Be?

Even if your sunburn from Labor Day hasn't faded yet, it is not too early to plan for when the snow is flying up north! When people find out I'm a Realtor in the Daytona Beach Area they usually ask if there are still "good deals" out there. Between summer's three day weekends and The Holidays things slow down a bit in this resort town, so your time couldn't be better!

Check out this bank owned beach front condo in the newly renovated Oceans Three Condominium.  Located in the most desirable part of Daytona Beach Shores, you can literally park your car and forget it since the new Publix grocery store is directly across the street along with many restaurants and other shops. People have been paying close to $200K for the un-renovated units, but at $154,900, you will have enough left over for a new kitchen, two new baths, and all the granite counter tops you could wish for!

Another option is the Marina Grande On The Halifax Condominium. This glamorous complex is for the buyer who prefers contemporary living with resort amenities and a dock. Located directly on the Intracoastal Waterway, and around the corner from the Seabreeze Causeway, you will be amazed by the views up the Halifax river and of the Atlantic. At night things really light up as the beach sky line begins to twinkle! This complex was completed right at the wrong time. Trust me, the original buyers did not purchase in the mid $200's, but you can. Two pools, dock, state of the art fitness center, billiards, and a ballroom, it's all there at a great price.

Condo living not your thing?  There is only one gated community on the beach, and most folks drive right on by never knowing what a great gem it is! Key Colony is poised between A-1A (Atlantic Ave.) and Peninsula Ave. and shares a pedestrian over pass with the Daytona Shores Spa and Resort for easy access to the beach. When you are all "beached out" you can enjoy the pool and tennis courts. These cute coquina bungalows are nearly maintenance free, so you can come and go as you please without worrying if the lawn has been cut. Most of the homes are in the lower to mid $300's, but the link above will take you to a bank owned steal!

So, yes, there are some great deals out there. Call me.  Don't be a Snow Bird without a nest!

Daytona Beach Bandshell

Things to do in the summer

Even though we have been exploring inside activities to escape the heat, a series around things to do in the summer would not be complete without talking about the Daytona Beach Bandshell.

Every Saturday from now till the middle of September Friends of the Bandshell host a Summer Concert Series: FREE concerts at – well – the Bandshell! It’s a Daytona Beach summer thing to do, and even in the heat it is great fun. On July 4, there is a huge display of fireworks, as well. 

The Bandshell, with seating of 4,000, opened with a bang on July 4, 1937 sharing front page with headlines of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance and a picture of the Dionne quintuplets. A record crowd of 25,000 was on hand in the city for motorcycle races on the beach, a baseball game in the ballpark, a parade on Beach Street, and the Bandshell Concert. The 48 foot by 114 foot natural coquina rock bandshell amphitheater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Whether you are visiting, here part or all of the year, the Daytona Beach Bandshell is a must see and experience. It is located on A1A, directly adjacent to the famous Daytona Beach Boardwalk, the clock tower, stores, restaurants, the Daytona Beach Pier, and of course the beach!

You can enter the Bandshell through Ocean Walk Village from A1A or the overpass from the Parking Garage. Seating is limited so be sure to bring a chair or blanket. It is against Florida Law to bring alcoholic beverages into the Bandshell. Chair rental is available.

 

Please click HERE to check out the schedule and other information about the Bandshell. 

 

Creative Florida Living 

Janet's Real Estate Site 

Turtle Season

Whether you live in the greater Daytona Beach Area year round, you are seasonal visitor, or you are relocating, you can enjoy the proximity to nature, wildlife, and water! One element of our beautiful wildlife is the majestic sea turtle. 

From May 15 through October 31, our area beaches host this unusual marine visitor. These magnificent turtles emerge from the surf at night to lay their eggs in nests dug into the dry sand, then return to the sea. Two months later, about a hundred baby turtles (hatchlings) emerge from each of these nests and crawl to the ocean. This amazing cycle of Mother Nature is endangered and has to be protected. 

Our government has taken several steps to preserve these gentle creatures and the fragile dune area. Beach driving and parking is prohibited west of an established dune conservation zone and beachfront lighting at night is limited. The tiny hatchlings can be confused by bright lights and stray west onto busy Highway A1A. So if your house or condo faces the beach, you must have blackout drapes drawn at night during turtle season.

Be kind and don't disturb a turtle that is crawling to or from the ocean or laying eggs. 

Watch from a distance of at least 30 feet.

• Avoid shining lights on the beach at night as this may frighten away nesting females and, interfere with the hatchlings ability to find the sea.

• Avoid walking or cycling in nesting areas

• Report any injured or dead sea turtles to any Volusia County Beach Services employee.

           

• Do not disturb markers or protective screening over turtle nests. These nests are being studied and protected.

• Avoid walking on the beach dunes.

• Don't disturb nesting sea birds.

• Don't litter. Cigarette butts, fishing line and other trash can harm the animals and birds along the beach.

To find out more, read about the Marine Science Center here and visit their website here!

Janet's Real Estate Site
Creative Florida Living