DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. ā Thousands of Jeeps started rolling into Daytona Beach on Friday for the annual Jeep Beach. There are events planned all over Volusia County over the next week for the SUV enthusiasts.
āThis is unbelievable. So, our 21st Year. Literally, 25,000 plus vehicles in Daytona Beach. Over 200,000 people in Daytona Beach,ā said Jeep Beach Inc. CEO Charlene Greer.
Greer said those events will include obstacles set up at the International Speedway and a major concert at the Daytona Bandshell this year.
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Itās big fun for a good cause. The entire weeklong event is a fundraiser.
āWe mask the fundraising with all of this fun, right but over the last 10 years weāve raised $4.3 million for Central Florida charities,ā said Greer.
There will be thousands of Jeeps near the Speedway and thousands more at the beach.
The Volusia Sheriffās Office will be tackling the increased crowds and traffic on the sand.
āTheyāre typically not here to cause problems! They donāt want their expensive jeeps towed and they donāt want to spend their vacation in jail so for the most part itās pretty tame,ā said Deputy Jake Bissonnette.
Itās the first year the sheriffās office is in charge of law enforcement on the beach during the event. News 6 rode along with Bissonnette as he explained what theyāll be looking for.
āA lot of it is equipment violations. Making sure people are having their vehicles inline with the county ordinances,ā he said.
One of the new rules this year is a ban against the āCarolina Squatā suspension. Thatās when the front of the car is suspended higher than the back.
āEssentially nothing about it is safe anymore. Handling, lighting, the braking, everything about it changes. For us on the beach the biggest issue is mainly the kids,ā said Bissonnette.
Otherwise, the more tricked out, and ducked out, the better and always welcomed.
The weeklong event will then end with the annual Jeep parade on the beach next Sunday.
āOver 12,000 jeeps at sunrise on the shores of Daytona Beach it doesnāt get any more beautiful than that,ā said Greer.
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