Driving on A1A through Daytona Beach, Florida in 4K

Dozens of barren lots sprouting more cigarette butts than blades of grass are dismal reminders of failed businesses along State Road A1A. Empty buildings bleed out rust and rotting wood. Vacant storefront windows are haphazardly covered with crumpled brown paper, plywood and faded bed sheets with tacky prints. The eyesores pockmark A1A from Ormond Beach down to Daytona Beach Shores. Their decay detracts from the well-kept condos, hotels and other businesses along the main north-south traffic artery within earshot of Atlantic Ocean waves crashing onto the "World's Most Famous Beach." Four News-Journal reporters recently walked the 10.5-mile stretch of A1A from Granada Boulevard to Dunlawton Boulevard. The survey also included the three main roads between the ocean and the mainland that cut through the core beachside neighborhood of Daytona Beach. The team found 213 vacant lots, buildings and storefront addresses. The bulk of them — 142 — are scattered up and down A1A, the oceanfront corridor that in so many other coastal towns is jammed with high-dollar hotels, top-tier retailers and restaurants, and tony homes. Another 71 vacant properties were found along East International Speedway Boulevard, Main Street and Seabreeze Boulevard between the Halifax River and the beach.