Overview
- The City Commission, which voted unanimously Wednesday, set daily boardwalk hours and made the 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. closure effective May 13.
- Wildwood police will enforce the rule, with signs posted, and exemptions for emergency workers, city staff, contractors, and authorized vendors.
- Police Chief Jim Murphy backed the cutoff to curb late-night crowd problems after unruly surges in recent summers and a 2024 holiday emergency, building on 2025 measures like bollards, a 10 p.m. curfew for minors, and an after‑8 p.m. backpack ban.
- Commissioners kept a 1 a.m. cutoff at the chief’s urging after boardwalk owners pushed for 1:30 or 2 a.m. and warned of lost sales and tougher trips home for late‑shift workers.
- Officials described a light‑touch approach, with no nightly loudspeaker order and no routine clearing, and said customers already being served can finish before leaving.