F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival Jan. 8 and Jan. 9

Virtual F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival starts today

The annual F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival starts today, and organizers have taken the popular event virtual and international this year as they celebrate 10 years of “Literacy is a Legacy.”

This two-day festival started in 2012 at the Midtown Community Center and offers an engaging weekend of entertainment with film, book and author presentations, focus groups and music.

The festival is one of the largest in the state and helps young aspiring authors connect and learn from veterans in the book business. The festival is free and open to the public. To register or for more information, visit www.freshbookfestivals.net.

Rental assistance remains available

The city is continuing to offer rental assistance to residents impacted with a financial hardship due to the pandemic.

Daytona Beach residents who previously received rental assistance and continue to experience a COVID-19 pandemic financial hardship, may still qualify and be eligible for additional assistance.

Rental assistance is provided on a first-completed application and first qualified/eligible basis and is for rental housing costs that incurred on or after March 11, 2020.

Appointments must be made to submit completed applications and provide documentation. Appointments can be made by calling:

Central Florida Community Development Corporation
(386) 226-1216
Housing Authority of the City of Daytona Beach
(386) 888-7684
Mid-Florida Housing Partnership Corporation
(386) 274-4441, ext. 301 and 304

Residents can get more information about the rental assistance online.

COVID-19 testing; Vaccine hotline

Free COVID-19 testing continues to be available at the city gym located at 1000 Live Oak St. in New Smyrna Beach.

The state-run site offers self-swab rapid antigen testing with results expected within 15 minutes.

The site also offers viral testing that uses a self-administered nasal swab test that allows people to swab their own nose, supervised by trained medical professionals. Test results are expected in 2 to 5 days.

Testing site details:

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
7 days a week
Available for all ages
No symptoms, appointment or ID required

Additional information about COVID-19 testing is available at www.volusia.org/testing.

County establishes vaccine distribution hotline
Volusia County has established a hotline for questions about the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. Residents can call (866) 345-0345 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The county is also posting vaccine distribution updates online at www.volusia.org/coronavirus.

Start the new year serving on an
Advisory Board

Serving on an advisory board is an excellent way of becoming an active member of your community while learning about the happenings in the city. They also provide an excellent opportunity for citizens to actively participate in the operation of their local government.

The city has a total of 25 boards. The number of members vary per board and most boards meet monthly.

The City of Daytona Beach is searching for residents to fill several board vacancies on various boards including Affordable Housing, Beachside Redevelopment, Code Enforcement, Economic Development, Midtown Redevelopment, Peabody Auditorium and Planning.

More information about serving on a board is available at www.codb.us/AdvisoryBoards.

Virtual F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival starts today

Rental assistance remains available

COVID-19 testing; Vaccine hotline

Start the new year serving on anAdvisory Board

Start the new year serving on an
Advisory Board