Overview
- Panama City Beach officers, including Florida Fish and Wildlife personnel, used paintball markers and pepper spray over the weekend to break up beach crowds and warned dancers they could face disorderly conduct for excessive twerking.
- Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said twerking is not illegal by itself and only draws charges if it is lewd or tied to an ordinance violation.
- Panama City Beach now bans alcohol and coolers on the sand and enforces an 8 p.m. beach curfew, while nearby Destin and Seaside increased patrols as party traffic shifts.
- Police tallied sweeping enforcement across Florida, with Volusia County reporting 133 arrests tied to a recent Daytona Beach takeover and Fort Lauderdale confirming 47 arrests this season, while Okaloosa County deputies issued nearly 300 citations.
- Volusia County leaders plan financial action against organizers of unsanctioned takeover events, a push they say will deter flash mobs coordinated online.