In a recent interview with Sheriff Mike Williams about this weekend’s Orange Crush “festival” he said the communication between the organizers and the city has been “haphazard.”
Haphazard is not a word the residents of Jacksonville and the beaches wants to hear. We want to hear that all is well, we have this under control, and everyone will be safe — the attendees and the residents.
Eye did some investigation and discovered Orange Crush has a history of a lot of fun as well as criminal activities. Jacksonville was warned about the risks of allowing Orange Crush here but our city leaders are supporting this event with open arms.
So open in fact, the event organizers are allowed to “do their thing” without a permit. As the Orange Crush organizers state, “this is just 20,000 friends getting together and going to the beach.” This is far from true and having flyers with information on where and when events will be set up — is by definition an “event.” Even their website shows this is a well-organized event BUT they demand they do not need any permits.
We ask:
Why don’t they just obey the law and pull a permit?
Why is the city allowing an unsanctioned event to take place and actually “working with” the festival organizers who are out of compliance?
As a person who has set up events in Jacksonville, I will tell you this: I would never be allowed to set up an event, a rally or a festival without a permit. I would be shut down immediately. Doesn’t seem fair, does it?
Tybee Island, South Carolina hosted Orange Crush for many years and finally had enough of this unsanctioned festival. Attendees disobeyed laws, trashed rented homes and hotel rooms and left piles of trash on the beaches. And even a video on their website tells you criminal activities take place. Watch and learn:
Remember this comment: “Craziest thing you have seen during Orange Crush?” People having sex and a shooting. And they tried to ban Orange Crush every year?”
We have been informed that many of the beach hotels and Airbnbs are either shutting down or charging three to four times higher rates to keep the Orange Crush attendees out of their facilities. Restaurants at the beaches are closing too and pushing the Orange Crush attendees into Jacksonville.
It’s going to be an interesting weekend in Jacksonville. We hope the Orange Crush attendees will behave and fun will reign. If not, we hope the Sheriff will protect the rest of us who demand nothing less. They and the Mayor’s office allowed this unsanctioned event to take place and they will be held fully responsible for anything criminal that takes place.
