NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — City leaders in New Smyrna Beach are considering a nightly curfew for anyone under 18. This comes after police, homeowners, and business owners, said the high school spring break crowd is causing way too many problems late at night.
What You Need To Know
- New Smyrna Beach police say they’ve seen a 90% increase in juvenile crime in the last two years
- Police blame the increase in crime on juveniles visiting the city for spring break and other holidays from other parts of Central Florida
- The New Smyna Beach City Commission is set to vote on a nightly curfew for anyone 18 and younger
- If passed, The curfew would be in effect from 11 p.m. nightly until 5 a.m. on Sunday - Thursday, and until 6 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
Melanie Cagle stays busy serving drinks inside Peanuts, a bar along Flagler Avenue. Cagle said at one point during a gathering of hundreds of teens during high school spring break last year, she had to go out into the street in front of the bar to break up a fight.
“I finally ripped the kids off and said you’re going to kill him, because the poor child – his face was being bashed on the sidewalk,” said Cagle. “And that’s the stuff that’s going on that doesn’t happen year-round here in New Smyrna.”
Cagle, who also lives nearby, said it’s the growing younger teen crowd that’s made her feel unsafe – even at her home - in just the last few years.
“There was a kid with a gun hiding behind my trash cans – it was right outside – and he was from Winter Park,” said Cagle.
New Smyrna Beach police said they’ve seen a 90% increase in juvenile crime in the last two years, and they attribute that to young people coming into the city during spring break and other holiday periods.
Several business owners along Flagler Avenue said it became a real problem when Volusia, Seminole and Orange County school districts stopped staggering spring breaks. In the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, all three counties had spring break scheduled on the same week.
Doc Munchums is a local bartender and has lived in the city for nearly 30 years.
He supports the 11 p.m. curfew for minors.
“It seems like parents just drop them off and they run rampant on the streets, they’re belligerent, not respectful of the local community which we all know and love,” said Munchums. “And every year it just seems to be more and more crazy.”
Cagle hopes the curfew city leaders are considering will reverse a troubling trend in the community she lives and works.
“This is a town that’s quiet, it’s nice, and that’s why people like to come here – and it’s been ruined,” said Cagle.
The New Smyrna Beach City Commission will vote on a first reading of the youth curfew at their commission meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 14. If approved, the commission could pass the measure after a second reading of the ordinance at their meeting on Feb. 28.
Because of the problems last year, city leaders passed a temporary curfew for 60 days.
This one would be permanent.
