Panama City Reporter

City of Panama City Beach issued the following announcement on April 1.

The Panama City Beach City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance that would give the City Manager the authority to act quickly in an emergency situation when there is civil unrest caused by large crowds.

Ordinance 1586 was unanimously approved in a special meeting Friday morning. It gives the City Manager certain tools to proactively manage civil emergencies and mitigate disturbances through the use of several discretionary emergency measures. These can only be initiated after it is determined by the City Manager that a civil emergency exists, or during a declared state or county emergency.

These tools are designed to be implemented in all or part of the City for the safety of the community as a whole, and include:

• The establishment of a curfew
• The prohibition of the sale, distribution or service of alcohol
• The prohibition of the possession or consumption of alcohol other than at your own premises
• The closing of an area of public or private assembly
• The prohibition of the rental or operation of any vehicle impeding the flow of traffic
• The termination of utility services in order to clear a large crowd from an area
• The suspension, revocation, modification or denial of a special event permit
• The use of City property for detention/impoundment of persons and vehicles
• The authorization of City personnel to enter private property to provide emergency nuisance abatement to aid critically affected businesses or properties
• The closure of any portion of the sandy beach or public beach access
• The authority to request federal, state, regional and county emergency assistance or mutual aid

These rules, which are already allowed under state statute, will be brought back to the Council for a final vote at the next regular meeting on Thursday, April 14 at 6 p.m.

Officials wholeheartedly agreed the rules are necessary for emergency management when widespread fun turns to widespread danger, as City services including police, fire, sanitation and code enforcement become overwhelmed.

“This gives us the ability to proactively prepare and act within minutes of a dangerous situation, as opposed to calling a Council meeting that might take six hours to pull together,” said Mayor Mark Sheldon. “This allows us to go from hours to minutes.”

The ordinance only applies to a civil emergency defined as an imminent threat of an act of violence or substantial defiance or resistant to public authority so that there is reason to believe a clear and present danger exists with potential substantial injury to persons or property. (The exact terminology can be found in the ordinance linked here.)

The ordinance also establishes advanced emergency prevention measures including the prohibition of the sale, distribution or service of alcohol between 2 and 7 a.m., which shall be limited to a 24-hour period.

Any emergency order shall be communicated to the news media and publicized on the City’s social media accounts and delivered via Alert Bay. Any emergency state will end after 72 hours, unless terminated prior by the City Council or City Manager, but can be modified or extended. Any curfews would not limit essential personnel such as public safety or health, and would allow travel to and from home and to places of employment.

Councilman Paul Casto called the ordinance a good first step. “Our officers were very prepared for this and I want to be sure they have the equipment and manpower they need. Whatever it takes to make sure this doesn’t happen again, I’m on board with it,” said Casto.

Councilman Geoff McConnell said the City has worked “way too hard on this beach to be a family destination. We do not want this type of lawless behavior anywhere within or without our City limits.”

Communications Director Debbie Ingram can be reached at (850) 233-5100, Ext. 2261.

Original source can be found here.