Photo: City of Ormond Beach
“Art will soon be taking center stage here, as murals will now be allowed downtown, a move that has been two years in the making.
‘When you pass by small cities, they look the same,’ said Julia Truilo, executive director of Ormond Mainstreet. ‘We want to keep enhancing the way our town looks and how people identify us.’
In response to the new ordinance that was approved in May, the Ormond Beach Mainstreet Arts District formed a committee to match artists with businesses and approve mural proposals. So far six artists have signed up and there are already a few projects in the works…
Previously, murals were considered signs under city ordinances. In order to allow murals, city officials created a new ordinance that clarified the rules for murals and where they could be painted.
The reason for the two-year delay, according to City Commissioner Troy Kent, was to make sure officials got everything right…
The City Commission and the Mainstreet Arts District wanted to make sure the murals were not perceived as advertisements, but rather works of art with the potential to draw visitors, much like the murals in downtown DeLand…”
— Nikki Ross, Daytona Beach News-Journal