After decades of being known as one of the most debaucherous Spring Break destinations in America this year Panama City Beach, Florida outlawed drinking on the beach, which has led to a borderline financial crisis in the panhandle town.
This week another one of the Gulf Coast’s most popular Spring Break destinations followed suit, with Gulf Shores, Alabama announcing that the drinking of alcohol on the local beaches is banned for the remainder of Spring Break. The ban on beach drinking in Gulf Shores will remain in effect until April 17th, and it is designed to curb the rowdy behavior that police have been forced to deal with after Gulf Shores experienced and unprecedented influx of spring breakers this year (all the fallout from PCB).
The Gulf Shores City Council has banned all alcohol on its beaches effective immediately.
During a special meeting on Friday, the council unanimously adopted an ordinance to prohibit the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages along the entire Gulf beaches within city limits. The ban is in effect through April 17.
Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft spoke previously about such a ban, saying excessive alcohol consumption was becoming a problem.
“The city has a responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare of our residents and visitors and an obligation to protect the reputation of the city as a family-friendly destination,” said Craft. “In order to keep spring break in Gulf Shores a safe environment, it is time we take action.”
This new ban prohibits any possession or consumption of any alcoholic beverage on any portion of the beach south of the protected sand dunes within the Gulf Shores city limits from the west end of Gulf State Park Beach to the very end of West Beach.
Failure to comply can cost spring breakers up to $500 in fines and six months in jail, and it appears that the city of Gulf Shores isn’t taking this lightly at all.
Just this morning the New York Times published a lengthy editorial about how Panama City Beach, Florida is suffering immensely this year after banning drinking on the beach, which effectively rerouted tens of thousands of Spring Breakers to other beach destinations, money that would’ve previously been spent in PCV. You’d think that the city of Gulf Shores, Alabama would know better than to cut off the largest annual infusion of cash into the city, but here we are.
As for WHY anyone would ever want to spend Spring Break in the Northern Gulf Coast is beyond me. It’s 62 degrees in Gulf Shores right now and was in the lower 50s this morning. That’s not beach weather. If you’re looking for a true Spring Break experience on the beach you need to be in South Florida and/or Mexico.