Volusia County law enforcement has established a special enforcement zone with doubled fines and an 8 p.m. youth curfew in Daytona Beach following a chaotic spring break weekend that resulted in 133 arrests and four shootings. The enhanced measures target a quarter-mile stretch from Main Street north, with dozens of officers stationed along the beach to respond to potential crowd disturbances.
“If you’re in the zone and you violate the law, the fines are doubled,” said Volusia County Chief Deputy Brian Henderson. “We could possibly impound your vehicle and sanction you in other ways.” The special event zone stretches from University Boulevard to Silver Beach, where penalties for violations carry stricter consequences than other areas of the county.
“What I think spring breakers need to understand is if you come here and respect our community, we’re not going to have a problem. But if you come here and you want to be disrespectful, we’re going to be just as disrespectful back,” said Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood. The sheriff’s office reported making 25 juvenile arrests during last year’s spring break season, along with conducting 718 traffic stops that resulted in 38 criminal citations.
The enforcement focus centers on the area behind the bandshell, where Henderson identified easy boardwalk access as a historical gathering point for large crowds. “On the sand back behind the bandshell area, there’s pretty easy access from the boardwalk down onto the sand,” Henderson said. “That seems to be where the most concentrated people are.” Officers are positioned to quickly respond to shifting crowds throughout the designated zone.
“If you think you’re going to come here and smoke weed and drink beer, you’re getting locked up. If you come here and speed, you’re getting locked up. You come here and do a dine and dash, you’re getting locked up,” Chitwood said. The zero-tolerance approach represents a significant shift from previous years, with all violations resulting in criminal charges rather than civil citations under state law.
Daytona Beach businesses are implementing additional security measures to handle the increased crowds during the spring break season. “There’s always concerns with shoplifting. We try to have people watching upstairs and downstairs because we are a two-story shop, so just trying to have enough crew working,” said Max Miller, general manager of Salty Dog, a family-owned business in the area.
Volusia County Beach Safety has deployed additional lifeguards along the shoreline to monitor changing surf conditions and swimmer safety. “We had larger surf that came in last night, it will subside, but then in the beginning of the week, it’s going to pick back up,” said AJ Miller, Deputy Chief with Volusia County Beach Safety. The agency is monitoring for rip currents and advising swimmers to stay near lifeguarded areas.
“If you’re coming here because you think you’re going to have lawlessness and wreak havoc, we’re going to get you,” Henderson warned. “We’re going to see you. We’re going to put you in jail.” Law enforcement officials say they are prepared to respond to any disturbances and have the capability to quickly deploy resources to different beach areas as needed, including New Smyrna Beach if crowds shift locations.
The enhanced enforcement measures will remain in effect throughout the spring break season, with officers continuing to patrol beaches and roadways across Volusia County.