VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning on Wednesday about an unsanctioned event being planned at the end of May.
According to the department’s social media post, Sheriff Mike Chitwood presented cease-and-desist letters to two promoters of the “Orlando Invades Daytona” event, which is scheduled for May 27.
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The event caused a stir in Daytona Beach last year, prompting a larger police presence during Memorial Day weekend in 2022. It also brought out massive crowds in 2020 as an unsanctioned event.
The letters explain to the promoters that any unsanctioned or unpermitted events held at Daytona Beach will result in traffic problems and “unreasonable strain on the already burdened law enforcement, medical, firefighter, and beach safety resources of Volusia County.”
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“Rest assured that if you continue promoting this unpermitted and unsanctioned event and persons show up as you have advertised, Volusia Sheriff’s Office will enforce all laws, state and local, to ensure the public health, safety and welfare of all,” the letter reads. “Volusia Sheriff’s Office will have ZERO TOLERANCE for any violations, traffic or otherwise.”
While one of the promoters stopped advertising after receiving the letter, a second promoter — identified as Reginald Bulger, a.k.a. “DJ Wavy” — has since begun advertising a similar “Beach Day” event from 12-5 p.m. on May 27, deputies said.
Stricter penalties were put in place for unsanctioned events in Volusia County after a law was passed last year that designated “special event zones” to help law enforcement deal with larger crowds.
The law has already been put into practice, with the sheriff’s office cracking down on an unsanctioned “Trucktoberfest” event in October 2022.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies will impound vehicles for traffic and criminal violations as necessary, and law enforcement will recover from the promoters any costs and fees that arise from dealing with an unsanctioned event.
On Thursday, Sheriff Chitwood announced that both promoters who received the letter had called off the “Orlando Invades Daytona” events.
“We want everyone to have a good time but not at the expense of public safety for all our residents and visitors,” Chitwood said.
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