Daytona Beach sets curfew, declares state of emergency for Spring Break: What to know

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The City of Daytona Beach has declared a state of emergency and issued a 7-day overnight curfew for kids and teens amid the busy Spring Break season in Florida.

It is the latest action taken by the City of Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Police, and Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood after thousands of young people descended on Daytona Beach last week for a reportedly unauthorized, unpermitted beach "takeover" event.

Since then, Sheriff Chitwood declared a special event zone across Daytona Beach, which doubles fines and citations, allows deputies to impound vehicles for up to 72 hours, and to issue occupant limits on the beach.

• Daytona Beach special event zone: What it is, what it means, where it is
• Volusia Sheriff to promoters of beach takeover events: 'We are coming after you'
• Daytona Beach shootings: 4 shooting incidents under investigation, police say

When is the curfew?

The curfew will be in effect from Friday, March 20, to Friday, March 27, 2026. It prevents kids 17 and younger from being unsupervised between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 p.m. within the "special event zone" designated at Daytona Beach.

It does not apply to those traveling to and from work, officials said.

What they're saying:

"We’re focusing in that core area with the kids that are out there under-age drinking, smoking weed, all that stuff, so that we have tools to be able to get them off the street," Young said."

Young said police were aware of last Saturday’s takeover before it happened but said officers were overwhelmed.

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"It’s not like these folks RSVP," Young said. "So it’s somewhat of a guessing game as to how many people are actually showing up, and we do our best to make sure we have resources out there, but truth be told, with the amount of people that were in town this weekend, I literally have, have about 222 sworn officers. Even if I had deployed all 222 sworn officers, in comparison with what we were dealing with, we were still grossly outnumbered, and there were still going to be some incidents like we were seeing on social media."

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Young recommended the curfew enacted by city leaders. He also pushed for permanent changes like tougher regulations on bars and vacation rentals. 

"Daytona Beach should no longer position itself as a Spring Break destination," Young said. "It is not a decision against tourism, but a decision against unsanctioned high-risk activity that strains resources, disrupts our community and places unnecessary demands on public safety personnel."

The backstory:

Thousands of people flocked to Daytona Beach last weekend for the start of the Spring Break season. 

Chief Young said so many people showed up that his officers were greatly outnumbered. 

Amid the festivities, crowds began running across the beach as social media lit up with reports of a possible shooting. 

Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said he and his deputies were on the beach and that there was "zero" shootings on the beach. He said people on the beach were crushing water bottles to make a loud sound like a gunshot, which prompted the crowd to "stampede."

No injuries were reported in the crush.

However, the Daytona Beach Police Department said that it was investigating four reported shooting incidents that happened within the City of Daytona Beach, though none were reported at the beach itself. 

What's next:

City Commissioners expressed interest in making the chief’s suggestions permanent. They said they would consider them. They would need to vote on most, if not all, of the measures. 

Daytona Beach special event zone

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood has designated a "special event zone" for Daytona Beach this weekend.

What is a special event zone?

The designation allows Volusia County deputies and law enforcement to:

• Double fines and penalties for traffic infractions and violations
• Allows deputies to impound vehicles for up to 72 hours
• Allows duties to limit the amount of people that can be within that designated area

Here are the boundaries:

• University Blvd. south to Silver Beach Avenue
• West on Silver Beach Avenue to South Peninsula Drive
• North on South Peninsula Drive to East International Speedway Blvd.
• West on E. International Speedway Blvd. to South Halifax Avenue
• North on South Hlifac Avenue to North Halifax Avenue
• North on North Halifax Avenue to University Blvd., then east on University Blvd. to A1A.

Sheriff to event promoters: Get permits or pay the costs for increased law enforcement, first responder response

Sheriff Mike Chitwood said he intends to hold those people who promote these events on social media for the costs and fees associated with increased law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics, or sanitation services needed to safely manage the event.

"We're going to be the first county – and my attorneys are working on it now – we are coming after you financially. And if I could come after you criminally, I would. So, don't sit behind a keyboard in Georgia or Orlando or wherever and think you're going to do these truck events and these takeover events because it's not going to happen. There is a way to do business. Get permits and do things the right way," he said during a press conference earlier this week.

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