DAYTONA BEACH — The two-year push by top city government staff to buy the Cruisin’ Cafe and two nearby properties appears to have died after crashing into a wall of resistance.
“It’s dead in the water,” Bo Bofamy, a broker associate with Coldwell Banker Commercial Benchmark in Ormond Beach, said May 4.
Bofamy and fellow Coldwell Banker broker Bob Rand partnered together to represent the cafe’s owner, and the two took part in negotiations with the city for the past two years.
But there was never enough support among city commissioners or members of the Beachside Redevelopment Board, and on May 1 city staff decided to scuttle the deal and not bring it back to city commissioners for a vote.
That leaves the seller with no buyer, city staff with a failed attempt to find a new use for the property on the high-profile corner of Main Street and State Road A1A, and another nearby property deal possibly also falling through.
A South Carolina man has been interested in buying the large building at 777 Main St., and some of the land city staff wanted to buy as part of the Cruisin’ Cafe deal would have been used for his parking needs. His tentative contract with the city is contingent on parking.
It’s not clear if either project can be revived, but right now both appear to be on life support.
City spokeswoman Susan Cerbone did not reply to an email seeking comment.
Plans for 777 Main St. in Daytona Beach could be dead, too
City staff have maintained the land offers a chance to revitalize an important corner in the core tourist area with a new restaurant or retail use, and to provide dozens of parking spots on an empty lot that would be part of the sale.
Also at stake has been the purchase and overhaul of the large city-owned building at 777 Main St., which has had an interested investor who has struggled to meet the parking requirements for his vision. For a few years the city has been talking to the South Carolina man who’s been interested in buying 777 Main St. for $2 million and sinking another $3 million into transforming it into a new restaurant, bar, event space and music venue.
City staff have suggested tearing down the 9,954-square-foot Cruisin’ Cafe building, saying it’s an opportunity to remove blighted property, create 100 parking spaces right off Main Street, and add new restaurants and shops in the core tourist area.
Although city staff had developed the plan for a few years, it was news to most city commissioners when it hit their Jan. 21 meeting agenda.
The mayor said he was also dismayed that the Main Street Redevelopment Board hadn’t had a chance to weigh in on the proposed sale. Commissioners decided in January to put the brakes on the deal so everyone could learn more about it.
The proposed $4.33 million property purchase included the Cruisin’ Cafe at 2 S. Atlantic Ave., a nearby smaller lot at 16 S. Coates St., and a third parcel on South Coates. The final price would have risen to $4.36 million figuring in closing costs and an environmental report.
The sale would have wiped out more than a third of the $11.8 million in the Main Street Community Redevelopment Area fund.
Commissioners decided at that Jan. 21 meeting to table the property purchase decision at least until early March, but it never showed up on their meeting agendas again.
Cruisin’ Cafe property could have become temporary park with food trucks
Mayor Derrick Henry questioned if it was too much money since the city already spent $3.1 million acquiring 777 Main St. a few years ago.
City staff said a recent appraisal came in at $4.4 million, but City Commissioner Stacy Cantu noted the owner pays taxes on $1.8 million worth of property.
City staff members had been negotiating the multi-property acquisition on and off for more than two years. City records show the seller is Myara Properties, and the managing member is Daniel Myara.
The owner of Cruisin’ Cafe wants to retire after 30 years of holding the properties. He has passed up previous offers to buy the property because the plans of those interested could have left the corner vacant for years.
The original asking price was $6.5 million for four parcels. City staff sent an offer letter for $3.25 million that was rejected by the seller in October 2024.
In November 2025, the property owner agreed to sell three parcels if the purchase price was $4.33 million. The seller also wanted to keep 20 S. Atlantic Ave., which is home to Sicily Pizza and Daytona Hardcore Tattoo, and was originally included in the $6.5 million package.
Bofamy and his partner were told the deal could close in January, then February, then March.
If city commissioners had approved the purchases, city staff proposed to demolish the Cruisin’ Cafe building and have an interim use for that corner property. Staff has suggested using the land for a small version of Boxi-Park in Lake Nona to provide food, drinks and entertainment and activate the space while finding a developer for a restaurant or retail use.
You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach plan to buy Cruisin’ Cafe ‘dead in the water’
Reporting by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
