Governor Desantis Sends State Troopers to Control Panama City Beach Spring Break

Spring Break. It's a term that used to be thought of fondly for most in Panama city Beach. Or at least tolerated. The official start of the summer season, Spring Break meant the official start of the money flowing into town. Hotels, shops, vacation rentals, restaurants bars and beaches all flowed over with young kids with pockets full of disposable income ready to let loose and have a time to remember on the World's Most Beautiful Beaches. Over the years, the crowds got rowdier and rowdier and the problems became bigger and closer together. Petty crime abounded and the problems became more than they were worth in the eyes of many locals. This led to an attempt to shut Spring Break in PCB down. Laws were passed to discourage kids from coming, from heavily enforcing already active laws to restricting drinking on the beach and shortening the business day for local bars. Beach closures soon followed, and in 2022 after the "Panamania" takeove scare, multiple roads were even shut down in the middle of the evening, leaving motorists gridlocked from Highway 79 to the Hathaway bridge.

The latest attack on Spring Break comes not from local law enforcement, but from Florida's top dog himself, Governor Ron Desantis. Desantis detailed his plans to send troopers to shut down Spring Break shenanigans in a Miami news conference tuesday morning. 140 troopers will be dispatched statewide, with 45, the bulk of them, headed to Miami Beach. 15 more are headed to South Florida and the remaining 80 will be divided between other communities in Florida that have requested assistance for Spring Break. In total, 17 communities requested assistance. No word yet on exactly how many law enforcement officers are being dispatched to PCB.

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