does anyone have any stories about getting caught w/alky in the car on the way down there? or any close calls? we are taking more alky down there than we are clothing etc. and i dont wanna get busted.....by the way we are 4 18 and 19 yr olds from the university of oklahoma hittin up the beach the week of march 15-22...thanks

I have never been checked and i have been goin for 6 years just go the speed limit there are alot of small towns and the speed limit will drop to 45

Authorities begin Spring Break crackdown on highways
JAN CLEVELAND MORRIS and CHRIS MITCHELL
Media General News Service
Mar 3, 2003




Buckle up those seat belts and keep a sharp focus when taking to the roads this weekend. The annual spring break crowd is headed toward the beaches and thousands of them will be traveling through Jackson County in a mad rush to reach Bay County beaches. The Florida Highway Patrol, in collaboration with all law enforcement agencies throughout the Panhandle, have initiated a program called “Strike Force 98.” That means law enforcement coverage will be heavy on all roadways leading to Highway 98, the major artery which runs through Panama City Beach.

Officers will be looking for any kind of traffic violations and will be pulling drivers over. “They are doing this, of course, because so many people will be coming to Bay County and they want to make sure that everybody stays safe and that they keep driving safety at ‘top of mind,’” an FHP official said.

In recent years, more than 500,000 college students have converged on Panama City Beach to enjoy the sun, sand, and other inducements. The Panama City Beach Florida Spring Break 2003 website boasts that on the beach the acronym “GPA,” means “great party action,” not grade point average.

Jayna Leach, director of marketing and sales for the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, said this week that spring break officially began Saturday and will end April 18. “We estimate we will have about 425,000 visitors during that time,” she said.

Cottondale Police Chief William Watford, whose town is directly impacted by spring break traffic, said his officers work to maintain “high visibility” along the U.S. 231 corridor which runs through the small Panhandle town. “They just see that four lane and forget about speed signs,” he said. “Our goal will be to slow them down.” The speed limit through most of Cottondale is 35 miles-per-hour with only a small portion of U.S. 231 posted at 45 miles-per-hour. “We do write citations, mostly for speeding. It depends on what else we find when we make the stop,”Chief Watford said. “We just want everyone to pay attention, obey all traffic laws, wear their seat belts, and have a safe trip.”

Watford said Friday morning that traffic was not particularly heavy along U.S. 231 but that he anticipated it would increase throughout the weekend. He said reports of heavy rains expected in the Panhandle could impact the numbers of visitors to the beaches. WMBB-TV’s Chris Mitchell in Panama City has been on “spring break patrol” with local law enforcement this week. He said only three universities were out for spring break last week which did not make a big impact, but this week there are 12, including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.

Bay County tourist officials said last week that spring break is the third largest revenue-generating month of the year, followed by the beach’s two biggest months of June and July. They report that spring breakers spent $25 million in March 2002 for room rentals and another $35 million to $45 million for goods and services. Most major hotels on the beach are “solidly booked,” in the upcoming week, according to tourist officials. Heavy crowds are expected through April 4.

Leach said the Visitors Bureau has information on events and available lodging at their headquarters, located on the corner of State Road 77 and Highway 98 on the beach. They can be reached at 1-800-pcbeach, or information can be found at: springbreakpanamacity.com.

(Jan Cleveland Morris is a staff writer for the Jackson County Floridan in Marianna and Chris Mitchell is a reporter for WMBB-TV, News 13, in Panama City.)

Spring Breakers Coming: Traffic Laws Strictly Enforced
By Chris Mitchell (cmitchell@wmbb.com)
News 13 On Your Side
Feb 27, 2003


Panhandle roads are quiet right now during the first week of Spring Break (February 22 - 28.) However, local law enforcement officials report there will be an increase of traffic leading to Bay County as more colleges around the country let out for Spring Break Friday, February 28.
Currently, only 2 major universities are out for Spring Break from Michigan this week. But that's all about to change Friday, February 28. Spring Breakers from 12 major colleges and universities will begin converging on Florida panhandle beaches, primarily on Panama City Beach. The states from which they'll be visiting are Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.

Cody Khan, general manager of Holiday Inn Sunspree on Panama City Beach, says the hotel is booked solid Friday through Spring Break. The Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort is one of the largest hotels on Panama City Beach.

In addition to increased traffic on panhandle roadways leading to Highway 98, law enforcement officials from 39 different panhandle police and sheriff departments will be working together to enforce traffic violations. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is spearheading the effort titled "Strike Force 98" where FHP works alongside participating law enforcement agencies for 24 continuous hours on select days. Collectively, law enforcement agencies will closely monitor traffic along major roads leading to Highway 98 throughout Spring Break. This is the fifth year "Strike Force 98" has been in operation.

In a statement published by the FHP, "the plan is to increase the opportunity of education through enforcement of those motorists who do not comply with Florida's traffic laws. Increaseing compliance will reduce the chances of a motor vehicle crash resulting in death or serious injuries." FHP officials say additional Strike Force 98 efforts are being planned throughout Spring Break.

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Thanks for helping out in the forums!!!

I'll send you a private message to get your contact info.