2024-03-02 14:27:24
A Panama City Beach resident is pleading with tourists to avoid her town this spring break because of strict rules adopted in recent years after young vacationers overstepped the mark.
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Between the early 2000s and 2015, the city of more than 10,000 inhabitants, located in the northwest of the state, attracted thousands of young people who came to celebrate spring break, from February to April.
Employed at two bars during this period, Randi Burkett saw it all.
The establishments for which the American worked were located very close to the beach, where completely “crazy” parties took place from morning until early morning.
Photo taken from TikTok | @randigaylord_
University students stormed the town to drink alcohol on the beaches, a practice now banned throughout the month of March.
According to the Panama City Beach resident, Bay County authorities cracked down on partygoers after several illegal actions, she said in a TikTok video.
The increased use of social media in the 2010s allowed police officers to discover actions committed during these holidays, she adds.
In 2015, a gang rape allegedly occurred on the beach, where “hundreds” of partygoers witnessed the horror, according to “CNN”.
The woman had been drugged before being raped in broad daylight, authorities said, saying it was not the first case.
The same year, shots were fired at a residence where a party was taking place, injuring seven people, according to the Florida-Times Union.
“According to the American media, it was really in 2015 when the situation got worse for Panama City Beach […] There has always been crime in the city during spring break, including people getting too drunk or people falling from balconies,” said the American.
As early as the winter of 2016, Bay County police authorities announced a series of measures to restore law and order, penalizing families and tourists who did not cross the line, according to the former waitress.
A ban on alcohol consumption has been decreed for the month of March on all of the city’s beaches.
Gatherings have been banned in business parking lots and alcohol can no longer be sold after 2 a.m.
These measures dealt a hard blow to restaurateurs and bar owners, according to the content creator.
However, although these measures have improved the quality of life of residents, the woman deplores that they have not been adjusted.
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