PANAMA CITY BEACH — With about 10 months ahead before Spring Break 2016, both the Panama City Beach Police Department and Bay County Sheriff’s Office have indicated any violation of the new ordinance will result in arrest next year.
“We will be aggressive in our enforcement of the new ordinances and the law,” said BCSO Maj. Tommy Ford. “We will enforce it with arrests, just like we did with the ID [requirement] on the beach.”
Ford said new ordinances put in place prior to Spring Break this year led to hundreds of arrests of underage drinkers and those drinking on the beach without valid identification. Overall, more than 1,200 arrests were made during the Spring Break period, with BCSO spending about $350,000 on overtime for additional patrol.
Although the Sheriff’s Office has not yet estimated the cost to enforce a beach drinking ban, Ford said the agency soon will begin the planning process to prepare for next Spring Break.