Melinda Sells Daytona

New Smyrna Beach

History

New Smyrna Beach occupies a notable place in history as the site of the largest single attempt at colonial settlement in what is now the United States. Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scottish physician and entrepreneur, obtained a grant of land from the British Crown. In 1768 he established a colony of 1,225 immigrants on the coastal plantations at New Smyrna, with a view toward the commercial production of such crops as corn, indigo, rice, hemp, and cotton. The land that the Turnbull colonists settled is located along the west bank of the Indian River, opposite one of coastal east Florida's relatively few inlets.

For some 10,000 years before the arrival of the Europeans, Native Americans inhabited the area, initially on a nomadic basis and later in more sedentary camps and villages. Until the early twentieth century, the coastline was strewn with mounds of ancient refuse that testified to the presence of the Indians. Most of the mounds were destroyed, the shell used for roads and building construction material. However, much evidence of prehistoric habitation remains hidden under ground and water within the corporate limits of New Smyrna Beach and beyond. Read Complete History

The mission of the Parks and Recreation Department is to provide safe and wholesome leisure activities in an aesthetically pleasing environment throughout the community for the citizens of the City of New Smyrna Beach.

These activities - active, passive, cultural, and educational - shall be responsive to the community’s needs and carried out in a caring and cost effective manner, according to the direction of the Administration Staff, the Parks and Recreation Board, and the City Commission.