Brace yourself for Spring Break

Sheriff Mike Adkinson told South Walton County residents Tuesday that he will crack down on underage drinking and excessive noise during this year’s spring break.


Adkinson spoke at a town hall meeting hosted by County Commissioner Cindy Meadows on the challenges presented by thousands of visiting college students. About 80 residents, business owners and local officials attended.


He warned residents to expect another record year for spring break along the county’s 26 miles of beach. Since 2011, the numbers have soared, with much of the college-aged crowd gathering around the Whale’s Tail in Miramar Beach and stretching east.


“To be honest with you, when you have those numbers of people coming here, you’re going to have these problems,” Adkinson said.


He said he plans to increase the number of deputies he deploys by maximizing “the use of overtime” to deal with the influx of visitors.


“At two points last year we had two crowds in excess of 10,000 on the same day,” Adkinson said. “And crowds can get out of control.”


He also appealed to the public for help.


“When you identify a chronic problem, make us aware of it,” he said.


After the first major crush of college students last spring break, Adkinson took a random sampling of arrests and found that most of them had been visiting South Walton since they were children.


Dawn Moliterno, director of the county’s Tourist Development Council, said the area is beginning to see the children of its loyal tourists returning as spring breakers.


“They are coming back to their beaches and they’re in college,” she said. “They have disposable income and they’re not always well behaved.”


Moliterno reminded the audience that the TDC markets to families, not the spring break crowd. But college students who are familiar with the area are likely to choose it as a destination.


The key to a more orderly spring break is making sure the students know the ordinances that govern behavior on the beach, Adkinson said.


Last year, the Sheriff’s Office made 50 arrests, most for underage drinking, on the first day of spring break.


Adkinson said he plans to have the same level of enforcement this year.


“We’re trying to set the tone on the first day,” he said.


Adkinson said beach safety — and adherence to the warning flags — is a top priority.


“These waters can be extremely treacherous when people don’t follow the flag system,” he said. “We are going to strictly enforce that.”


Some residents along County Road 30A told Adkinson their communities are having problems with even younger spring break visitors.


Robert Davis, founder of Seaside, told Adkinson the town was having major problems with out-of-town middle school children “drinking, doing drugs and having sex on the beach.”

Most the children are visiting from the Atlanta suburbs and are left largely unattended by their parents because Seaside has created such a safe environment, Davis said.


This year, town members plan to promote more family activities such as campfires, sing-alongs and hot dog roasts to drive the troublemakers off the beach, he said.


“We’re going to occupy the beach, especially when those Atlantan hordes descend upon us,” Davis said.


Adkinson agreed that the younger teenagers are a problem. He said this year deputies will try to saturate the beach communities at night and hold problem juveniles in custody until a parent can pick them up.


Other concerns raised at the meeting included excessive noise and parking problems.


Adkinson said major improvement in those areas won’t come until county commissioners approve tougher noise and nuisance abatement regulations.