Unsanctioned weekend truck event expected to clog Daytona Beach streets
A two-day, unsanctioned truck event in Daytona Beach this weekend is expected to snarl traffic and officials said they will use a Florida law that allows them to double fines and tow trucks for non-criminal activity to keep the celebration under control.
The event, advertised on social media as Trucktoberfest and said to take place in Daytona Beach, starts Friday and will end on Sunday, said Daytona Beach police Chief Jakari Young on Thursday.
Special event zones designated
In preparation for the event, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, has designated areas on the beachside as special event zones. Chitwood, and other police leaders in Daytona Beach and Daytona Beach Shores, are using the power given to them by a "pop-up event" law passed by the Florida Legislature that went into effect May 26. The law gives police the power to designate a special event zone and implement enhanced penalties.
Legislators passed the law after local officials, who had enough of eight years of truck events, lobbied for the law.
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In past truck events, particularly the Daytona Truck Meet, monster trucks and thousands of people gathered in the area and turned city neighborhoods into war zones beset by roaring engines, ear-splitting train horns, smoke-belching exhaust systems and objectionable behavior by attendees who treated the city like an open-air toilet and trash can.
The law also holds the organizer and promoter of the non-permitted event responsible for all the costs and expenses incurred by law enforcement officials during the event.
Daytona Beach residents, truck fans warned
Trucktoberfest is not as huge as the former Daytona Truck Meet now known as Florida Truck Meet held in Homestead but Young said they are alerting residents about the event.
"Trucktoberfest doesn't draw a crowd as the Truck Meet did but they don't have a host," Young said.
The Truck Meet was hosted by the International Speedway, so the vehicles gathered for their events in one place. The Trucktoberfest event does not have a host so trucks and fans are expected to be all over major thoroughfares in the city, police said.
The Daytona Beach Police Department will increase staff appropriately during the event, Young said.
"Residents should expect traffic congestion on the beachside, mainly north and south Atlantic Avenue and the bridges over the Intracoastal Waterway," police said.
Police said heavy traffic may also be expected on International Speedway Boulevard, Nova Road, and U.S. Highway 1.
Young said all bridges to the beachside will remain open but if they become congested with traffic, the Main Street bridge will be opened to residents, employees and businesses of the beachside, Young said.
The chief said no special passes, known as the Pink Pass, are being issued, he said.
Meanwhile, truck fans and revelers coming to Daytona Beach should be aware that the special events zone goes into effect on Friday and ends on Sunday.
The special events zone will cover the areas from the northern tip of Bellair Plaza in Daytona Beach south to Daytona Beach Shores. Signs are posted indicating the boundaries of the zone with warnings that vehicles will be towed for infractions and violations.
Traffic fines will be doubled, modified trucks with lifted suspensions and additional lights will be towed, and loud music or noise ordinances will be enforced.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Officials: Unsanctioned weekend truck event expected in Daytona Beach
