DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood’s warnings toward parents were demonstrated this week following the arrest of a 16-year-old accused of an alcohol violation, according to the sheriff’s office’s social media.
The teen was arrested Wednesday at the beach and was taken to the Daytona Beach Family Resource Center, the post states.
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The mother of the teen had to travel from Baxley, Georgia — some 226 miles, about a 3.5-hour trip — to pick up the child, Chitwood said.
“I don’t care if you’re in Naples, Tampa or (as in this case) Georgia, you are coming to pick up your child and remove them from our community if they are not respecting our community and our laws,” Chitwood wrote in the post.
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The warnings come after two teens were arrested around President’s Day, one of them for allegedly having a gun and the other for reportedly shooting a BB gun at the Flagler Avenue roosters in New Smyrna Beach, according to the sheriff’s office.
Since then, the agency has enforced a number of rules at the beaches, including stricter regulations, an increased police presence and tougher penalties for violations.
A Special Event Zone is also in effect in New Smyrna Beach, with stricter penalties for rule breakers within the designated area.
As part of the crackdown, police are enforcing doubled traffic fines, and any vehicles causing disturbances can be impounded for up to 72 hours. Law enforcement is also monitoring crowd sizes and responding to any signs of trouble.
The New Smyrna Beach Police Department is getting help from the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the agency told News 6. The police department has implemented a juvenile curfew and hotel and AirBnB owners have been told to ensure adults are with any teenagers.
Chitwood previously said that the children who get arrested are coming from other counties, not from Volusia County itself.
The sheriff said that with six Central Florida counties holding spring break at the same time this year, they’re expecting the number of arrests and citations to potentially double.