Editing South Daytona, Florida (section)

==History==

South Daytona was once a town called '''Blake''' (named after wealthy [[Boston]] businessman Alpheus P. Blake), with some forty resident families and as many more non-resident property holders. Many of the early settlers profitably engaged in orange culture and vegetable gardening. According to the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], Blake opened its first post office on August 19, 1878. Then c. 1886, the first train came as far as Daytona, and ten years later the line was extended to [[Miami]]. Soon thereafter, a railroad station was built at Big Tree Crossing.

By 1926, the towns of Daytona, [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]] and [[Seabreeze, Florida|Seabreeze]] were consolidated to create the city of Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach then proceeded to annex all the adjacent territories, including the town of Blake. Because of new taxes and appraisals levied, residents of Blake were forced to hire an attorney and eventually, c. 1938, succeeded in breaking away from Daytona Beach to become the incorporated town of South Daytona.

Soon after [[World War II]], the town created a Building Department, followed by a Planning and Zoning Board. Builders and developers soon became interested in the area, and South Daytona started to develop. South Daytona was then in a position to request financial assistance from the federal government for expansion of utilities, streets, etc. South Daytona was the second town in the Halifax area, after Daytona Beach, to install a sanitary sewer system. The town continued to prosper and was incorporated as the City of South Daytona in 1951. South Daytona has operated under a City Manager/Council form of government since 1980, with the Mayor and four council members serving four-year, staggered terms beginning in 1990.