Daytona Beach ramp closure impacting businesses amid construction

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The "World Famous Beach" ramp in Daytona Beach is closed for renovations, and nearby businesses feel the impact.

Sam Tadros Pizza Shop on International Speedway Boulevard has closed. Before the construction, the ramp brought significant foot traffic to the area, benefiting the pizzeria.

"We closed a couple of weeks ago," said Sam Tadros, owner of the pizza shop. "There’s no traffic, there’s no traffic at all."

County officials are renovating the busy "World Famous Beach" access ramp entrance, adding more parking spaces, new restrooms, bike racks, and upgrades to sidewalks and lighting. The construction has severely limited business at Tadros’ pizza shop.

"I come to the restaurant a couple of days ago, just sitting there looking outside at the construction, and this place was packed. Now it’s closed," Tadros said.

Many locals and visitors are frustrated with the timing of the construction.

"We wanted to drive on the beach and experience something different, but with it closed, we had no idea where to go," a visitor said.

County officials stated that the improvement project, expected to last approximately 10 months, needed to start now.

Tadros plans to open a pop-up restaurant next weekend to keep his business going during construction.

"We’re going to lower the prices to make people come out," he said.

The project is set to be completed in spring 2025.