SPRING BREAK: As Snowbirds fly the coop, breakers bust out and pour in (PHOTOS)

While winter slowly turns into spring, another seasonal change is taking place in Northwest Florida.

The annual migration of snowbirds is coming to an end with a large group of the winter visitors leaving last month and the season officially wrapping up March 31.

The Destin Snowbird Association, the single largest snowbird association in the area, had 2,196 members this year, 217 more than last year. This year, snowbirds flocked to Destin from 38 states and nine Canadian provinces and they came from as far away as Alaska.

“It went very well,” said Marge Marcella, president of the Destin Snowbird Association. “The people I’ve talked to said it’s been really great and I’m sure they’ll be back next year.”

Marcella said this was an active year for the snowbirds. She said they typically had 700 to 800 members attend their meetings, held twice a week. The snowbirds also raised nearly $10,000 for Harvest House, the Northwest Florida State College scholarship fund and a cancer fund.

Nearly all of the snowbirds will be gone by start of April, she said.

But as the snowbirds leave, the students and families visiting the area on spring break is just beginning.

“Our lodging people say the bookings are much, much better than they’ve been for the last two years,” said Darrel Jones, executive director of the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council. “It’s a nice continuation, the snowbirds are starting leave and the spring breakers are starting to arrive.

“It’s a good effect,” Jones added. “It keeps jobs and keeps (businesses) going year around.”

To see photographs from Spring Break '09, click here.

To see photographs from Spring Break '08, click here.

Bed tax collections in Okaloosa County were down 18 percent in March of last year compared to March 2008, where as last April was up 7.9 percent from the previous year.

Jones said the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2010 was up for bed tax collections and he expected that to continue with spring break.

“It’s as good or better than it’s been the past two years. That’s refreshing,” Jones said.

Walton County also saw a large reduction, more than 11 percent, in the amount of bed taxes it collected during spring break last year.

“Last spring break was a tough one,” said Tracy Louthain, director of communications for the Beaches of South Walton. “We were down huge in March and in April we saw a little bit of a recovery.”

“We definitely would like to see some rebound back to the 2007, 2008 numbers,” she added.

Louthain said she expected this year’s spring break to have a slight increase compared to last year’s numbers. She said the rental agencies in the area are reporting strong bookings and inquiries so far this year.

“Spring is our second highest season,” Louthain said. “It’s very, very important that we have a strong showing in the spring season and it really sets the stage for the type of summer we’re going to have. We really focus on driving visitation and getting those families back for their spring break.”

The influx of students for spring break does lead to more work for area law enforcement. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office works with area condominium and hotel managers and meets regularly on how the two groups can help each other out.

Last year during spring break, the sheriff’s office issued 542 citations for underage possession of alcohol. That was up from 267 citations from 2008.