Daytona Beach Shores moves forward with community-led proposal to rename city 'The Shores'

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. - For years, residents and businesses in Daytona Beach Shores have been asking City Hall, "When can we just be The Shores?" Now, that community-driven push has taken a massive step forward.

Officials emphasize this was not a city-led initiative. The city simply ran the data and facilitated a 30-day survey to gauge public opinion. Out of nearly 550 responses collected, a whopping 66 percent of participants voted "yes" to dropping "Daytona Beach" from the name so it can become only "The Shores."

What we know:

The City Commission just passed the first reading of the proposal with a 5-to-0 vote, moving the name change one step closer to reality. If approved, the rebranding process will carry an estimated cost of up to $277,000 for the city to slowly phase in new signs and decals.

For local residents, the Volusia County Tax Collector says updating a state ID card or driver's license will require a $6.25 processing fee.

What they're saying:

The proposal has sparked a mix of excitement and concern among local community members and leaders:

Will residents make the final decision? 

What you can do:

The City Commission is not making the final decision on the name change itself; they are deciding whether to give voters the opportunity to make that choice.

The second reading of the ordinance is officially scheduled for July 28. Because officials did not see a big turnout at the first meeting, city leaders are explicitly asking people to show up and speak up at this next session.

If approved at the July 28 meeting, the final option to officially change the name to "The Shores" will be placed squarely on the November ballot for citizens to decide.