NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — As student crowds start coming to Florida for spring break, local law enforcement agencies are preparing for a busy week.

Thousands of people are heading to New Smyrna Beach as their destination of choice.

Starting Thursday, the New Smyrna Beach Police Department established a "Special Event Zone" in connection with "Senior Skip Day." The zone will stretch from Beachway Avenue to Third Avenue.

 “Of course, the town gets to have a lot of movement, and everybody gets excited. And we welcome every tourist in town,” said Ignacio Barsottelli, owner of Luma, a coffee shop on Flagler Avenue.

He said this week the city will see a combination of two crowds in town: snowbirds and spring breakers. And although he says it's good for business, he hopes they follow the rules.

“We just want them to behave," he said. "You know, sometimes it's they get excited, and we know that. And we love to have them. But we just want to have a peaceful town like we always have."

With crowds in town, the New Smyrna Beach Police Department is taking steps to keep everyone safe. Officers sat up a Mobile Command Center in the parking lot of the Flagler Avenue Beachfront Park, steps aways from one of the busiest beach ramps during this time of year. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office also has deputies patrolling the beach in the area.

“They are going around. They are taking, of course, a very passive attitude, just there being present. Also, the Sheriff’s Office. I see the sheriff's cars going around,” Barsottelli said.

He said he appreciates the measures in place to make spring break a pleasant time for all. 

"Come and enjoy, don’t destroy," he said.

Under a law that took effect in 2022, Florida permits the sheriff or chief administrative officer of a municipality to designate an area as a special event zone in response to events, including unpermitted activities or gatherings organized via social media that involve 50 or more people and cause significant disruptions to the normal flow of traffic on public roadways.

The law includes the following provisions:

• Doubles the statutory fine for any noncriminal traffic infraction that occurs within a special event zone
  
  
• Allows a law enforcement officer to impound a vehicle for up to 72 hours for any noncriminal traffic infraction or criminal traffic violation that occurs in a special event zone
  
  
• Authorizes a law enforcement officer to enforce occupancy limits in a special event zone
  
  
• Provides for the recovery of costs associated with designating and enforcing a special event zone from the organizer or promoter of the special event