Beaches, Beaches, Beaches

The most popular spring break destinations and the measures by lawmakers to prevent chaos

WHY?

That's a question that's asked when the beach, or more specifically, Daytona Beach in Daytona Beach, Florida is the most popular during the spring break. 

One week in mid-March, Florida beaches are packed with families, but mostly teenagers causing havoc. It all started in the 1930s "when the Colgate college spring team began to travel to Fort Lauderdale for training,” Lauren Volcheff Atlass said in an article by Travel Market Report. “Soon after, swimmers from all over the country started attending competitions all over Florida."  

By the 1950s, college students started heading south from everywhere to spend their break at the beach. In the 1960s the movie "Where the Boys Are" was based on a book by Glendon Fred Swarthout. The movie was a huge success and after its release, thousands of students crowded Fort Lauderdale and it became the Spring Break Capital. 

The Most Popular Beaches 

Mutaz Albar, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The most popular beach during spring break is Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach is deemed the world's most famous beach, according to an article from Student City. Disney World in Orlando, Florida is about an hour's drive away from the beach and the residents of Daytona are known to party hard. "Yeah, Florida is very popular during spring and summertime,” said Dale Thaxton, a resident of Florida for 20 years. "But Daytona is very popular with college students." 

Bart Everson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Also very famous is Panama City Beach. Almost 500,000 flock to the Panama City hotel or "The Spring Break Capital" according to an article from Student City. Panama City, Florida is famous for Pier Park, which gets flooded by families and students. "Pier Park is the great attraction in Panama City beach," according to a Yelp review. 

 Although beaches are fun during the spring, they can also be very dangerous. 

The Dangers of the Beach

During spring break of 2023, Florida law enforcement arrested 322 people. And law enforcement officers work “12-14 hour shifts six days a week” for crowd control, according to an article by Fox News, 

However, not all arrests are caused by unruly college students. "I think there are a lot of young people...maybe not so young," Fox News Judge Jeanine Pirro said. "Maybe not college age, who go down there just for trouble, just to fight." Because of the disorder and destruction, something is being done about it. 

Curfew For All?

In Miami, Florida in 2023, city commissioners implemented a temporary curfew after multiple shootings which will carry over to this year. The curfew was at 11:00 p.m. for teenagers 17 years or younger. 

 It's not just Miami, but Jacksonville, Florida too. "It shall be unlawful for any person sixteen or less of age (under seventeen) to be or remain in or upon a public place," according to Chapter 16 Article II section 16-52 of Jacksonville’s Code of Ordinances. The curfew is 12:30 a.m. on weekends and 11:30 p.m. on all other nights. 

Hopefully, some of the measures being put in place will make spring break safer for everyone. In the end, beaches will still be fun and a good place to take a break.