- June 10, 2026
At least 2,601 Ormond Beach residents want to see River Bend Golf Course reopen, according to a petition referenced at the City Commission meeting on Tuesday, June 9.
“No more studies, no more kicking it down the road,” said Coleen McMahon, a candidate for the City Commission Zone 1 seat who spoke about the petition. “... This isn’t a request for another study, it’s a direction from the people you serve. Residents have spoken: Open River Bend now.”
City officials say they have not yet seen the petition themselves.
The 172-acre municipal golf course closed in December 2020 after its operator filed for bankruptcy. Since its closure, there's been a back-and-forth between residents, city staff and the Federal Aviation Administration on reopening the golf course, as River Bend abuts the Ormond Beach Municipal Airport and sits on airport property. Most recently, Economic Development Director Brian Rademacher told the Observer that the FAA would not consider using the land for purposes other than aeronautical purposes, or allow it to be sold, without a master plan update projecting 20-year aeronautical demand.
Additionally, River Bend would require millions of dollars in renovation, and both officials and city staff have voiced doubt on whether a new operator would take on the project without land ownership or a long-term lease.
Still, the city is inching forward on the issue after receiving direction from the City Commission in late May. Rademacher told the officials that staff has a meeting scheduled with the FAA next week.
"What we're going to do is we're going to gain greater clarity on whether or not they're going to allow us to move forward with the idea of an RFQ or an RFP or an RFI," Rademacher said, referencing putting out requests for qualifications, proposals or information for a new operator.
Planning Board member GG Galloway spoke at the meeting. Over 30 years ago, he and his senior partner helped put a lease together for the original operators of River Bend.
"I think everyone in this room right now would love to see a golf course, yet I haven't seen a business plan or business model to say one, who's going to pay for it — how much my tax dollars going to be used to pay for it," Galloway said. "And it's no longer going to be a $45-a-round golf course."
Could a feasible business model exist? Some think so.
Mayor Jason Leslie informed the commission tat he had arranged a meeting between two golf industry professionals and city staff to discuss the feasibility of reopening River Bend. The professionals — Harrison Minchew and Gerry James — reviewed a 2019 study prepared for the city on the golf course, Leslie said.
"After reviewing that report, discussing current market conditions, both men reached the same conclusion: Riverbend was not a dying golf course, it was a thriving golf course," Leslie said.
The mayor also read into the record an email from the FAA to the city's former airport director, dated July 23, 2025. The email references an advisory from the FAA that provides guidance on land uses that may attract hazardous wildlife on or near airports.
The advisory states that existing golf courses that have been documented to attract hazardous wildlife, like Canada geese, develop a program to reduce the attractiveness of the site for these species. It also recommends against the construction of new golf courses, if it is determined it would attract hazardous wildlife.
"So the way I'm interpreting it is that if golf courses are located on or near airport property, airport operators should be alert to any wildlife use or habitat changes," Leslie said.
About two years ago, City Commissioner Travis Sargent inquired about reopening the golf course too and putting it out for bid. Sargent added that he submitted his own Freedom of Information Act request for all emails between the FAA and the last airport manager, which came at a cost of $140.
He will be reviewing those emails soon, he said.
"In the meantime, I wonder if maybe we can put out a request for qualifications to see if there's anyone out there that's qualified to take over this operation, pending the answer from the FAA," Sargent said. "... If not, I think this is a way for us to either see if there's someone that wants to take it over, or we close it for good and move on to the next phase, but at least we can give our residents the opportunity to officially open it or close it. Whichever direction it goes, I'm OK with."
Editor's note: This story was updated at noon Wednesday, June 10. A previous version of the article reported the petition had been presented to the city; this was incorrect. The petition was only referenced at the meeting.
