Famous People of Daytona Beach

By Teri Champigny

Daytona Beach is actually further north than many of the famous cities in Florida like South Beach, Miami, Palm Beach, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, and, of course, the Everglades. Still it is tropical in nature. Daytona Beach is famous for its hard-packed white sand beaches and motor sports. It is a beautiful city with an estimated permanent population of about 4,586 as of 2004. It has a small town feel to it. It thrives on tourism with Bike Week and Spring Break both being big events as well as the Daytona 500 race which takes place every year.

Maybe it is the beaches or maybe it is the weather or maybe it is the motor sports but there are many famous people who have made Daytona Beach their home and have left their mark both past as well as present.

Duane and Gregg Allman: Duane and Gregg were both born in Nashville, Tennessee but they were raised in Daytona Beach. They learned to play guitar at an early age and formed their own band, The Kings. In 1969 the "Allman Brothers Band" launched a new kind of Southern rock music with their first album. The album was something very different... a combination of blues, soul, country and rock music. Their second album was called "Idlewild South". It was a huge hit and climbed to the top of the charts. Then they went on to make a double album which reached the top ten. Duane was killed in 1971.

Vince Carter: Vince Carter, the basketball player, was born in Daytona Beach. He currently plays for the Nets but is due to become a free agent in the summer of this year.

Ryan Lochte: Ryan lives in Daytona Beach. He won medals in the 2004 Summer Olympics in the backstroke and individual medley. He is a graduate of the University of Florida. Lochte won two individual gold medals at the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championship in 2006 in the 200m individual medley and the 200m backstroke, setting new world records in both events.

Mary McLeod Bethune: Mary McLeod Bethune was one of 17 children born to former slaves. She was the only one who went to school. She founded Florida's Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Girls in 1904. The school merged with the Cookman Institute for Men in 1923 and became Bethune-Cookman College. Bethune-Cookman was one of very few Black colleges at that time. Her family home is on the Black Heritage Trail and can be visited. She was buried in a simple grave behind the home.

Mike Skinner: Mike Skinner currently drives the number 5 Toyota Dealers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He has driven in the Winston Cup for Richard Childress Racing as well as for Morgan-McClure Motor Sports.

If you watch carefully, you are likely to see many famous faces that you will recognize in Daytona Beach especially during the Daytona 500 racing season. Daytona is a beautiful city so of course it attracts the rich and the famous.