City of Panama City Beach issued the following announcement on February 11.
For the continued safety of the community, the Panama City Beach City Council has approved a two-month overnight closure of a small portion of the sandy beach on the east end.
Ordinance 1585, approved by the Council Thursday, February 10, temporarily closes the beach between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. from March 1-April 30 in the area between the Ocean Ritz Condominiums and public beach access 25, located west of the Boardwalk Beach Resort.
The area has been a trouble spot in the past, where large crowds of young people gathered at night, many of them engaged in criminal activity.
“By closing this portion of the beach down, it allows our agency to focus our resources on higher priority calls,” said Police Chief J.R. Talamantez. “And it helps us create a more family-friendly environment while protecting our residents and visitors alike.”
The City Council votes each year on the beach closure. Spring Break rules, including a ban of alcohol on the beach during March, automatically go into effect each year beginning March 1.
The Spring Break rules, passed by the City Council in 2016 in the form of several ordinances, apply to the City limits of Panama City Beach and are enforced by the Panama City Beach Police Department. Bay County has imposed similar rules, which apply to the unincorporated area of the beach.
The Spring Break ordinances were approved by the Council six years ago in response to violent incidents occurring during Spring Break. Talamantez said the ordinances have curtailed a lot of the violence, but police still have to be on their toes.
“Since these rules were enacted, we can’t take our foot off the gas in regard to ordinances surrounding Spring Break,” he said. “Every year we are contacted by major promoters in the industry who want to bring it back. We do not want to return to the type of activity that we saw in 2015.”
The City has successfully rebranded itself as a family-friendly destination and last year, even in the midst of a global pandemic, the beach experienced record-breaking tourism.
As a reminder, Spring Break rules which begin March 1 include:
1. No possession or consumption of alcohol on the sandy beach.
2. No possession or consumption of alcohol in commercial parking lots.
3. All alcohol sales end at 2 a.m.
4. No open house parties allowed.
5. No parking in closed business’ parking lots unless parking lot is being managed.
6. Overnight scooter rental is not permitted.
7. It is illegal to climb, jump from or throw things from balconies.
8. No metal shovels are allowed on beach and no holes may be dug deeper than two feet.
Beachgoers should also pay attention to the beach flag warnings. Double red flags flying on the beach mean the water is closed to the public. While locals and visitors may walk the beach, they are not to go into the water on a double red flag due to the presence of dangerous rip currents. Surfers tethered to a board are allowed in the water on double red flag days.
Red flags mean there is a high surf and a strong current, resulting in a high hazard for swimmers. Yellow flags signify medium hazard with moderate currents and green flags indicate low hazard. Purple flags mean dangerous marine life is present.
In addition, dogs are not allowed on any portion of the beach, except at the Dog Beach located on the west side of the Russell-Fields City Pier. Service dogs are exempt from this rule.
While at the beach, we encourage everyone to consume lots of water to avoid dehydration, and swim at a guarded beach, which includes the Russell-Fields City Pier, the M.B. Miller County Pier and the Boardwalk Beach Resort, which is a City partner in beach safety.
Communications Director Debbie Ingram can be reached at (850) 233-5100, ext. 2261.
Original source can be found here.
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