ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of people will head to Tinker Field this weekend for the Electric Daisy Carnival near Camping World Stadium.
As people continue the festivities downtown, safety is at the top of mind following the end of a state of emergency that had put a curfew in place for Orlando’s downtown entertainment district.
What You Need To Know
- The city of Orlando and the Orlando Police Department look to put more safety measures in place this weekend after the end of a state of emergency in downtown Orlando
- The state of emergency that had included a curfew from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and banned all alcohol sales after midnight ended Thursday
- The Electric Daisy Carnival kicks off this weekend near Camping World Stadium
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer issued a one-week state of emergency after a shooting on Nov. 1 left two people dead and eight others injured.
Orlando leaders have ensured people it is safe to go downtown.
“Safety remains a top priority here in the city of Orlando, especially downtown Orlando. We are putting protocols in place to make sure bad characters aren’t here, and we will continue to keep the city safe,” said Commissioner Shan Rose, who represents District 5 in Orlando. “Orlando Police Department have a few operations they will be running. We are looking at a collaborative effort and partnership with our local businesses downtown to do a coordinated entry access, but that’s still in the process.”
The city is looking to bring back safety screenings, which were suspended because of implications related to Florida’s permitless carry law.
For the city to meet the requirements of the new law and still do screenings, officials would need to approve a special events permit for a private entity covering at least a portion of the dense bar district.
The increased safety measures follow a deadly shooting downtown during Halloween celebrations last week.
Jaylen Dwayne Edgar is accused of opening fire just after 1 a.m. on Nov. 1 while an estimated 75,000 people were in downtown Orlando for Halloween celebrations. Tyrek Hill, 25, and 19-year-old University of Central Florida student Timothy Schmidt Jr. were killed in the shooting.
Edgar, 17, faces two counts of second-degree murder and a count of attempted murder with a firearm.
State Attorney Andrew Bain announced on Monday, Nov. 4, that Edgar will be charged as an adult in connection with the shooting.
Bain said that evidence in the case was overwhelming and left him no choice but to upgrade Edgar’s charges.
Florida law requires all first-degree murder indictments to come from a grand jury, and Bain said his office will present its case to the grand jury “in the near future.”