NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Today marks the start of Spring Break for many schools across Central Florida.
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That means big crowds will be heading to the beaches. At New Smyrna Beach, the police department plans to fully enforce the city’s new youth curfew.
Giant signs are set up on the bridge with warnings reminding people of the youth curfew. And police said after what they saw last year, they’re not cutting any corners.
“There’s like a cop on every corner,” beachgoer Fabian Ferrer said. “People are getting busted left and right.”
READ: New Smyrna Beach curfew: Who does it affect? What are the times & fines?
Ferrer said things got out of control last year, but it’s not fair for people who weren’t part of that crowd to be punished.
“We’ve been out here, just chilling the whole time,” he said. “Staying away from illegal activities, just having fun … .”
The city recently put a permanent youth curfew in place, but interim Police Chief Eric Feldman said officers haven’t acted on it until now.
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“You’ll see we have reader boards throughout town that clearly say there is a curfew in action and we will enforce it at 11 o’clock and tell them all to disperse and go home,” Feldman said.
The change comes after crowds of teens took over the city last year, making it tough for officer to take control.
Feldman said there was an 89% increase in the arrest of minors. A temporary curfew was put in place to help curb crime.
Now, people under 18 must be off the streets from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.
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“We did see last year that a lot of the problems we had with kids were kids that were dropped off and the parents weren’t there to supervise,” Feldman said.
Businesses and parents can also face fines if they knowingly permit underage people to violate the curfew.
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