DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona Beach leaders passed an emergency ordinance Wednesday night creating an extended youth curfew in the city’s special event zone after a spring break weekend marked by chaos, panic and violence.
Commissioners voted 7-0 after hearing from Police Chief Jakari Young, who said his department was stretched thin after Bike Week and overwhelmed by the size of the takeover crowds.
Young told commissioners what happened last weekend “was not a traditional spring break,” but “an unsanctioned, social media driven takeover” that strained police resources.
[BELOW: Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood talks Spring Break chaos in Daytona Beach]
City leaders also pushed for better communication before another major pop-up event catches residents and businesses off guard.
Commissioner Stacy Cantu said residents “have the right to know if an event is going to happen” and “shouldn’t be surprised.”
By the end of the meeting, commissioners approved an emergency ordinance tied to Sheriff Mike Chitwood’s special event zone.
As read aloud by the city attorney, the ordinance establishes “for a period of seven days beginning on Friday, March 20 and ending on Thursday, March 26, 2026, extended youth curfew hours … from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day” within the special event zone.
[BELOW: City’s handling of chaotic Daytona Beach weekend questioned amid pop-up event, shootings]
The ordinance took effect immediately upon adoption.
The vote came after a spring break weekend that brought large unsanctioned crowds to Daytona Beach. Authorities said 133 people were arrested on the sand, while Daytona Beach police investigated four separate shootings in the city on Saturday.
Wednesday’s meeting also looked beyond this weekend.
Leaders floated the idea of a spring break task force to help decide what the city wants its future to look like, while Young said Daytona Beach “should no longer position itself as a spring break destination.”
The mayor also said he is comfortable with the city moving away from being a spring break spot for teenagers and college students, though he said the wider community should help shape that decision.
News 6 will continue following how the new ordinance is enforced this weekend and what longer-term changes city leaders may pursue next.