Responding to a spring break “emergency,” Daytona Beach city commissioners approved a weeklong nighttime curfew for minors in a part of the city along the beach.
The youth curfew begins 8 p.m. Friday and remains effective between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. for one week, from March 20-26. The measure was approved unanimously as an emergency ordinance. To extend it beyond a week, the City Commission would need to hold a special meeting.
The youth curfew taking effect Friday will be effective within the special event zone announced Wednesday by Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
The move comes on the heels of a series of spring break “takeovers,” or massive, unpermitted gatherings largely organized via social media, that took place in Daytona Beach over the past weekend, making national news.
The gatherings brought “chaos” to the area, Chitwood said in a social media post earlier this week. As a result, the Sheriff’s Office has temporarily designated a special event zone in the city.
At Wednesday’s City Commission meeting, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young asked commissioners for help strategizing how to address future, large-scale events that arise with little prior notice. He shared information about “decisive action” other Florida cities have taken to address large, unsanctioned events.
Young proposed following Panama City Beach’s lead by establishing a “high impact period” during the city’s special event season. During that defined period, a set of temporary regulations would apply within specific areas of the city likely to be affected by large crowds.
Those temporary regulations could include nightly curfews for minors, fines of up to $500 for parents who willfully fail to supervise them and other safety measures, as needed.
“Daytona Beach should no longer position itself as a spring break destination,” Young said. “It is not a decision against tourism, but a decision against unsanctioned high-risk activity that strains resources, disrupts our community and places unnecessary demands on public safety personnel.”
Mayor Derrick L. Henry welcomed the idea: “I'll go on record as saying that … I'm okay with saying that we don't want to be a spring break destination for teenagers, or college kids.”
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City Attorney Ben Gross said Daytona Beach’s existing youth protection ordinance already allows for minors in public or semi-public places, like bars and restaurants, to be taken into custody by police until they can be collected by a legal guardian.
“As long as it's not a punitive action, but really for their protection, based on the circumstances, it's a legitimate exercise of the police power,” Gross said.
Ordinances establishing a curfew are subject to strict scrutiny. But in this case, Gross said, the facts are compelling enough to allow for commissioners to impose the temporary curfew.
“I think the only reason why what you're talking about doing is defensible is because of the immediate experience of the past weekend,” Gross said.
