“Beach Trams” Up For Discussion At Volusia County Council Meeting

Daytona Beach, FL – Could beach trams be coming to Volusia County? The Volusia County Council’s agenda for their upcoming meeting on Tuesday (Nov. 2) shows that Sun Buggy Fun Rentals Inc.—which operates a buggy and ATV rental service with locations in Oregon, California, and Nevada—has applied for a permit to operate a tram up and down the beaches. According to Sun Buggy, the “tram” consists of a trailer with seats pulled by a truck. The trailers are made in-house by Sun Buggy’s fabrication team. The vehicles and trailers feature large high floatation tires, a wide stance for stability, and a high seating position to offer great views to riders. The Sun Buggy fleet is also capable of towing and recovery. In order to make this happen, Sun Buggy has submitted a permit—a one year “pilot permit”—to allow travel on the beaches, along with a variance for the length of the vehicle and trailer. Currently, there is a max of 33 feet, while they would need a max length of 55 feet. In their application, Sun Buggy laid out their requested route of service. The route would take riders from the beach access ramp at International Speedway Boulevard and south down the beach before exiting out at the Dunlawton Avenue access and onto A1A. From there, the tram would enter the beach again on Emilia Avenue before continuing north to exit onto Silver Beach Avenue. Sun Buggy will also be required to close one hour before beach closure time—which is around 6 p.m. during turtle nesting season and about one hour prior to sunset during non-turtle season. In addition, Sun Buggy wants permission to continue to have access to the beach when it is closed due to reaching capacity. The county told the company that all insurance requirements must be satisfied before final approval is granted. Passes for the tram would be sold online and off-site, and not sold on the actual beaches.