Law enforcement in Volusia County says they’re preparing for a busy weekend in Daytona Beach.

TruckToberfest, an unsanctioned truck event, is expected to bring enormous crowds to the area.

“That’s exactly why the pop-up event law was passed, because somebody sits at home on their keyboard and decides that we are going to take over a city,” said Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood.

A special event zone officially begins at 8 a.m. Friday. Signs have been placed throughout the perimeter of the zone that warn drivers that fines are doubled, and vehicles are subjected to being towed for traffic violations.

Chitwood said similar events have gotten out of hand in previous years.

“They actually drove tourists away,” he said. “The number of people who came here to have a weekend on the beach and enjoy our amenities. When this event rolled into town, they packed up and left.” 

Earlier this year, a Florida law was passed to allow law enforcement the ability to create special event zones.

Any activity or event created without proper permits  that involves more than 50 people allows the response to be enacted, Chitwood said.

He said the special event zone is an effort to control the event and ensure residents, tourists and businesses are not disturbed.

“Everything you need for the beach we rent,” said Alex Harville while moving a paddle board at Daytona Outdoors, where he's worked for the past six months. 

The rental shop located on A1A is equipped with E-Bikes and surf gear, and Harville said most customers who come in gravitate toward the shop because of a desire to find a fun family activity to do together.

“We’re learning something new every day about these electric bikes more than other people, which is great," he said. "So even if they don’t buy a bike from us, we’re able to repair it for them."

While still relatively new to the area, Harville said he has seen how large events affect the shop's everyday operations.

Being near the beach gives them a close-up look at the different crowds, he said.

“This is a family spot," Harville said. "They stay away from a bike week or a truck week because the traffic is just congested.”

The area in front of Daytona Outdoors is part of that special event zone that’s going into place this weekend.

Volusia County Sheriff's Office officials say the goal of the zone is to ensure a regular traffic flow, so shops like the one Harville works out of don’t get clogged up.

Harville said Daytona Outdoors will remain open and offer its services to anyone who needs them.

“It’ll be a little bit different, but we just roll with it every day," he said. "So it’s not going to hurt us that much."