Spring break far from 'crazy so far'

While party crowds gather to the east to grind along to music from MTV performers, Okaloosa County beaches are pretty quiet this spring break.

      “It’s just not been a really crazy spring break like we’ve had in the past here,” said Sgt. Ted Pecot with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office’s Community Policing Division.

      Pecot said he thinks that’s in part to strict hotel and condominium guidelines. Many overnight accommodations don’t reserve rooms to anyone under 25 years old, and people who can reserve a room must be present at check-in and during the stay.

      “This has been a very family-oriented spring break compared to previous years,” Pecot said.

      However, that doesn’t mean the spring breakers have been perfect angels. Citations for underage possession of alcohol have increased this year. Deputies have issued notices to appear to 113 underage drinkers and to five people for possession of marijuana. There’s also a stack of about 40 additional reports on Pecot’s desk.

      Pecot said deputies even broke up a party in a room at the Sandman motel on Okaloosa Island on Tuesday where the oldest person present was 18 and there was about $1,000 worth of alcohol in the room.

      If those cited choose to plead guilty and sign a form, they’re fined $190 and will have a misdemeanor charge on their record. Otherwise, it’s a trip to court.

      While alcohol possession cases are on the rise, disturbance calls haven’t been as rampant.

  “Bay County is a lot busier right now. It’s just a different crowd they cater to,” said Pecot, who added that he thinks vacationers come to local beaches to avoid the high-traffic college scene in Panama City Beach.

      This week is Toni Holladay’s first trip to the Panhandle. The 16-year-old from Bryant, Ark., traveled here with her boyfriend and his family.

      “I love it. It’s so pretty. We’re going to go parasailing and lay out on the beach,” Holladay said. “We don’t need all that partying.”

      Ryan Murphree, 18, agreed with his girlfriend.

      “We come here every year for the atmosphere,” Murphree said.

      Fifteen-year-old twins Erin and Zoe Benedict from Brian, Ohio, were shopping for souvenirs at a local beach shop with their family earlier this week. They said they come from a small town and that going out to eat with their family has been their favorite thing to do.

      “It’s hot and sunny here,” Zoe said.

      “Where we’re from it’s still snowing,” Erin added.

      The twins said they haven’t seen many cute boys, but that’s OK. “It’s a family thing,” Erin said.

      Max Dacosta, 15, is from Hendersonville, Tenn., and is here with his high school baseball team to play in a tournament.

      “It’s a little chilly today so we can’t get in the water,” Dacosta said.

      But that was better than last year, when it rained every day, he said.

      Dacosta and his friends were walking near U.S. Highway 98 on Okaloosa Island, heading to some souvenir shops and looking out for girls.

      “That’s our typical crowd this season,” said Kathy Johnson, manager of Kitty Hawk Kites at The Boardwalk.

      Johnson said families have been pouring into the shop to buy everything from suntan lotion and beach toys to gifts to take home for friends.

      “We’ve taken pains to make this area a real friendly atmosphere for families,” Johnson said. “It’s a fun kind of crazy.”