Daytona Beach, FL – Those who run Volusia County’s beaches say soft sand isn’t a good reason to speed on them.
Volusia County Beach Safety & Ocean Rescue says that’s becoming a problem as a lack of rain and lower tides than normal have combined to make some parts of the beach that are normally available to vehicles impossible to drive.
VCBS Captain Tammy Marris says the soft sand has been an issue for the past month throughout all their beaches, forcing them to outright ban vehicles from certain parts that normally can handle them or only allow 4-wheel drive vehicles in those areas.
“This is a common occurrence in July and August,” Marris said. “When the rain and high tides return, the situation will improve.”
Beach Safety officials fear that allowing vehicles into those soft sand areas now will eventually require them to be towed off the beach because the sand just can’t support them, especially with the 10 mile-an-hour speed limit.
On top of that, Marris says they’ve noticed drivers going a little faster so they don’t sink into the sand, especially in areas where people use non 4-wheel drive vehicles despite the posted signs banning them.
“The soft sand definitely poses a safety issue,” Marris added. “Drivers tend to speed through the soft sand and this puts pedestrians at risk.”
Which areas of the beach are plagued with soft sand changes by the day, but Marris did note that the Ormond Beach area – already dealing with red sand creeping from up north – has been pretty hard hit, especially between Seminole Drive and Rockefeller Park.
Other hard-hit areas include the Beach Street ramp in Ponce Inlet and the area north of the Beachway Avenue approach in New Smyrna Beach.
“We do have signs up everywhere,” Marris noted. “If it says 4-wheel drive only, that means it’s 4-wheel drive only. If you do not have 4-wheel drive, you will get stuck. And the speed limit is strictly enforced, even if you’re trying not to get stuck. We can’t have people speeding through these areas.”
To see the latest beach conditions anytime, click here to download the County’s beach app onto your smartphone.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.