DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The 82nd Daytona Beach Bike Week, the roaring 10-day event, is underway — and safety is at the forefront this year after a man allegedly stabbed a couple to death while walking home from the annual event in 2022.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said event patrons and residents who do not attend the event should feel safe with the added security.

“We don’t want anybody to feel like they have to hibernate, camp out in their homes over the next 10 days. We want people to be able to go about business as usual, just be prepared for an influx of visitors in town,” he said. 

Young said the department is adding extra patrols during Bike Week, which is a protocol for the large-scale events.

The owner of Beaches in Daytona said they do everything they can to protect their customers and hired their own security team.

“We have security here that is fully capable of dealing with any potential issue. We’re always looking for potential issues with anyone that comes close to our facility,” Charles Duva said. “People have put that [last year’s murders] behind them. So, it’s been a very upscale up-mood event to date. So it’s been a warm, friendly environment. Inviting as well.”