About South Daytona
The City of South Daytona, a progressive city on the Halifax River in Central Florida, was once a town called Blake, with some forty (40) resident families and as many more non-resident property holders. The land was peculiarly adapted to orange culture and vegetable gardening, in which many of the early settlers were profitably engaged. According to the national Archives and Records in Washington, D.C., Blake opened its first Post Office on August 19, 1878. Around 1886, the first train came as far as Daytona and, ten years later the line extended to Miami. Soon thereafter, a railroad station was built at Big Tree Crossing. By 1926, the towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach, and Seabreeze were consolidated to make the City of Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach then proceeded to annex all the adjacent territories including the town of Blake. Because of new taxes and appraisals levied, residents of Blake were forced to hire an attorney and eventually, around 1938, succeeded in breaking away from Daytona Beach to become the incorporated town of South Daytona. Soon after World War II, the town adopted a Building Department, followed by a Planning and Zoning Board. Builders and developers soon became interested in the area and South Daytona started to develop. South Daytona was then in a position to request financial assistance from the federal government for expansion of utilities, streets, etc. South Daytona was the first town in the Halifax area, after Daytona Beach, to install a sanitary sewer system. The town continued to prosper and was incorporated as the City of South Daytona in 1951. South Daytona has operated under a City Manager/Council form of government since 1980, with the Mayor and four Council Members serving four-year, staggered terms beginning in 1990. The population has grown to approximately 13,714 and encompasses approximately 4.00 square miles. There are nearly 44.5 miles of roadway, 40 miles of sewer lines, and 55 miles of water lines throughout the city. The average elevation is 6.5 feet above sea level.
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