VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The giant “floatilla” party near the Juniper Sandbar on Lake George brings hundreds of boaters out each year but ‘Mayhem on Lake George’ can be just that – mayhem.
Boaters and partiers packed in Saturday with dozens of law enforcement officers keeping an eye on the crowds.
News 6 rode along with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office to see what the challenges are in handling this event.
“A lot of it has to do with boaters that brush off their boats for the first time and they haven’t done the stuff to make sure their safety equipment is ready to go, they may not be familiar with the area,” said Sergeant Brodie Hughes.
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Hughes said the event brings in people from all over Central Florida.
“The crowd for this event tends to be a lot of out-of-town people that don’t know our waterways,” he said. “Then you mix alcohol into it and it’s a recipe for disaster. That’s really why we put so much effort into it.”
About a half dozen sheriff’s offices from the region, the FWC, and the U.S. Coast Guard surrounded the event on the water and on land.
“We have found a model that works well for us and that is heavy police presence, saturate the area,” Hughes said.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office set up a mobile command center in Astor where a crew watches what’s happening on the water overall and helps plan a response if there is a major incident.
Law enforcement ramped up their efforts for the event after a massive brawl broke out in 2022. Deputies said five people were arrested and one person had a severe head injury, but getting medical help to him through the crowds was a major challenge.
“We literally forced our way in and were stepping over boats,” Hughes said.
Now, Hughes said they set up a 75-by-75-foot box perimeter the boats stay inside of for easier access.
“We put the barge that they’re running a stage off of right there along that because that’s where the crowd’s going to be,” he said.
On top of the crowds, the teams ran equipment safety checks with boats and monitored for anyone breaking rules of the waterways
“We want people to come out here and enjoy the water, but we want to make sure you’re following the rules and safe while doing it,” said Hughes.
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