Larry Kelly (born c. 1935) is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and logistics engineer. He served as the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...

for twelve consecutive terms from 1974 to 1993. He was instrumental with getting

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

to showcase Spring Break in Daytona Beach in 1986–1993, though later lamented it was a mistake because locals experienced many problems during Spring Break every year. He spent his last few years as mayor trying to control Spring Break partiers. Soon after he lost his election bid in 1993, Daytona cut ties with MTV.

Biography

Larry Kelly Sr., who was born in 1935, is a native of

Carbondale, Pennsylvania Carbondale is a city in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carbondale is located approximately 15 miles due northeast of the city of Scranton in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 8,828 at the 2020 census. The land area th ...

. Kelly served in the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. Kelly was a logistics engineer by profession. In 1963, he and his new wife Joan moved to

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

while Kelly was employed by

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

. He retired from

in 1991. Larry Kelly Field was named for him at

Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium Daytona Stadium, is a 9,601-seat multi-purpose stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida, built in 1988 and home to the Bethune–Cookman University Wildcats football team. It is also used to host home games for the Mainland High School and Seabreeze Hig ...

in 1994. In 200o, he was elected to the board of directors of the Stewart-Marchman Foundation. Kelly was married to Joan Kelly who died on July 31, 2015. He has five children including

Volusia County Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an incr ...

Judge Christopher Kelly. In 2017, he joined with retired

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

police commissioner Albert “Al” McEvoy to solve Daytona Beach cold cases. Kelly's wife, Jane Kelly, a

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

, died on July 31, 2015, at the age of 78. The couple have five children - Larry Kelly Jr., Ann, Patrick, Christopher, and Mathew. Kelly's son, Chris Kelly, was elected a

court judge in 2012 with 63% of the vote.

Politics

Kelly was on the Daytona Beach planning board for four years before being elected to the Daytona Beach

city commission City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissione ...

in 1971. Kelly was the Daytona Beach

city commissioner City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissione ...

until he was elected mayor in 1974 in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

to fill the vacancy in that office. Kelly served as the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

for twelve consecutive, two-year terms from 1974 to 1993. After

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

started discouraging college students from vacationing there for Spring Break in the mid-1980s, Kelly appeared on national television to encourage college vacationers to come to Daytona Beach for Spring Break instead. Soon after, beer and cigarette brands started advertising in Daytona Beach for Spring Break. MTV's Spring Break showcase moved their Spring Break coverage to Daytona Beach in 1986. He later called that decision a mistake as locals experienced many problems during Spring Break every year. Kelly's efforts to rein in the revelry included promoting athletic competitions called "Spring Games" to channel youthful energy in a wholesome direction, and proposing that hotels be billed for the cost of sending police to respond to calls during spring break. In 1993, Kelly was lost his bid for re-election to a potential 13th term in a major upset. Kelly was defeated by restaurateur Paul Carpenella by only 210 votes. Carpenella received 3,689 votes (50.3%), to win the mayoral election, while Kelly placed second, garnering 3,479 votes (47.4%). Turnout in the 1993 municipal election was just 25%. That year, Daytona Beach officials cut their Spring Break marketing budget and ties with MTV.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Larry Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Mayors of Daytona Beach, Florida Engineers from Pennsylvania Florida city council members People from Carbondale, Pennsylvania United States Air Force airmen 1935 births