ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — As thousands of college students migrate south for fun in the sun, city officials at Alabama’s beaches are worried that the alcohol-induced spring break frivolity might become too much.
This week, the mayors of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach said they are ready to consider banning alcohol on their beaches next year if things continue to get out of hand.
“I would say there is a probability we will be doing that next year if this trend continues this year,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said, with Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon adding, “If we can’t keep it under control, we will ban alcohol on the beach during Spring Break. I don’t think my council has a problem with that.”
Craft and Kennon want to separate their beaches from the feral spring break culture in Panama City. Kennon said banning alcohol on the beach would make a statement that Gulf Shores and Orange Beach would not become another Panama City.
Already this year, police in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have broken up crowds of over 1,000 people, arrested dozens of underage drinkers, and strengthened their DUI patrols. The Gulf Shores jail is already holding 112 spring breakers in a facility that has 23 beds.
Craft and Kennon’s ultimatum comes a year after a disastrous spring break season in Panama City. The popular spring break destination saw a frightening increase in arrests, fights, and confiscated firearms. Particularly worrisome were incidents involving the non-fatal shooting of seven people at a house party and a video discovered of a gang rape in broad daylight. Shortly after these events, the Panama City Beach City Council unanimously voted to ban alcohol on the beaches during the month of March this year.
As a response to the events in Panama City last year, the Gulf Shores Police Department issued an heroic warning to spring breakers: “If your top priorities when visiting the beach are being drunk and disorderly; breaking what you consider to be small rules like littering & leaving glass on the beach; urinating in public, using drugs, or engaging in violent or indecent behavior, Gulf Shores may not be for you. This is your warning.”
Craft and Kennon have another cause for concern this year: social media. A Facebook group called “Spring Break Awareness Gulf Shores” posts pictures of trash on the beach and large masses of college students. The page was set up by local business owners and already has over 5,000 likes.
The social media posts can be beneficial though. “Our Police Department is monitoring it every minute,” Craft said. “We’ve been able to monitor and react.”
Not everyone at the beach for spring break is looking for a weeklong booze cruise. Some fraternities have been seen helping public works crews clean up trash and other garbage left on the beach.
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach market themselves as family-friendly destinations, and many families also spend spring break on the Alabama coast. Craft and Kennon hope spring breakers don’t get too out of control and scare families away.
Spring break has only begun, though. Students from Auburn, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Tennessee have been on spring break this week, and LSU will be off next week. Craft and Kennon know this is only the beginning.
“This is only the second week of Spring Break,” Craft said. “We got three to four more to go. I am holding my breath.”
