It may not be the ‘World’s Most Beautiful Beaches’ for much longer, at this rate.
This past weekend, Panama City Beach Police kept busy with crowds picking up and fights breaking out. The department responded to 900 calls for service between Friday and Monday including a shooting at the Shoppes at Edgewater late Friday night. They say this is more than usual.
“The most concentrated incidents occur on the east end of the beach between Richard Jackson Blvd and the Circle-K,” said Chad Lindsey, Panama City Beach’s Interim Chief of Police.
Chief Lindsey says crowd control issues took up the bulk of their calls.
On Sunday, a fight broke out across from the Circle-K parking lot on Front Beach Road. Bystanders said girls were fighting over a boy.
Ernest Dickens manages King of Scooters just a few steps from where the fight started.
“I think I witnessed part of it, but the police did an amazing job and they broke it up fast,” Dickens said.
Dickens says he too has noticed more younger adults and teens congregating on the roads.
“Every weekend since we opened back up after Coronavirus, we’ve been pretty busy every weekend so I expect to be busy every weekend,” Dickens said.
With more people coming to town for Thunder Beach, Chief Lindsey says they are prepared.
“We’re working in conjunction with our local aid partners to be prepared to police whatever may come this way,” Lindsey said.
Chief Lindsey says they’re asking both residents and tourists to make wise choices and stay safe.
