As Spring Break nears its end and the tally on the damage, incidents and money is being rounded up, the talk of supplanting college spring break in favor of family spring break is spreading across the beach. As far as I know, family spring break is somewhat of a mythical idea. I’m sure families do getaway for the break, but is it enough business to cover the cost of it losing college spring break? Better still, would you bring your family here during your break?
It’s a simple question…
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PCBDaily 
I’ve been coming down from Kentucky during “High School” spring break since 1985. We started out before we had kids but others we went with had kids and then started taking our own. My youngest now is 16. I believe most schools spring break are after what is considered college spring break so I know Ive missed out seeing PCB at it’s worst. I’ve seen many changes over the years,some good, some bad. And this debate has been on going for the last several years. When I get to PCB now I see a little of both worlds. The change from small motels to high rises and condos but the places that are geared to college age people are still here. I can only imagine how tough it is to see the area you live in to be taken over for the whole month of March. And being employed in city government I know the answers are not always easy. But I will tell you I’ve vacationed in Destin,Gulf Shores, and Daytona Beach and I enjoy PCB hands down. Now when my youngest is gone from the nest I may look at it different but one of the things that is attractive is that there is more to do here than some of the other “quieter” destinations. I know this is just rambling on but I sympathize with your problem but trying to have a little of both worlds will not bring the change many want. See you in 8 days PCB!!!
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A family spring break (with children) has to be taken whenever their school is out. Not all are the same. If a family has no children in school, I don’t think you will see anyone jumping in for a “Family Spring Break”. Now… you might push an “Adult Singles Week” or “Blues Fest Week” or another common reason for people to gather. (Hot Rods, Motorcycles, Fishing, Surfing, Boating, etc… like you now have). Common interest gatherings work.
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I brought my daughter and her friend’s to PC Beach for years during Spring Break and they had a blast. My husband and I had fun too! We had rules, we let them attend events and places we thought were safe, with set times they had to be picked up or come home, and we always had safe, fun times that we will remember our entire lifetimes! I have always been extremely impressed with the way your small city handles thousands of young adults! We tend to shoo our young adults away from everything here in Louisville if they start growing a crowd. It is such a shame. Those young adults will be back to Panama City Beach with their families and young ones when Panama City becomes even more family friendly offering more, and more to do than cruise…..which, if we all remember our youth….it is a lot of fun to do! Way to go Panama City Beach! You just keep getting better and better!
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We are at the point where we as a community must take and stand!! Do we want to continue down the same path with the same old results each year? We have lots to offer..beautiful beaches, great fishing and golf, world class resturants and nice friendly people.. Lets get back to our roots and let Mexico have the “College Spring Break”.
If I were king for the day the following would occur.
1. Bars would close at 2:00AM. and no drinks would be sold after 1AM.
2. College spring break would not be promoted and family vacations would.
We can do better… we must do better..
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Here is what I think
Idea 1: BOOOOO!!!!
Idea 2: YEAH!
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PCB’s invitation to “Black Entertainment TV” is the “clincher”;…Call NY State Police to get their opinion on their “Greek Fest” experiences over the years. Money isn’t everything, and PCB doesn’t even have the multi-thousand vehicle parking lots and controlled-access highways that Long Island beaches have to control access and egress of participants and crime scene personnel. During these types of events residents and area locals practice “bunker mentality” and shop and prepare for staying at home during the events. New billion dollar residential and commercial real estate on PCB HAS to suffer in the long run due to this “money first” mentality: once PCB acquires that reputation it will take too many years to shed it.
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I have been coming to PC Beach several times a year since 1968. I know the resident’s get tired of all the going’s on with Spring Break but I am sure the spring breaker’s add a boost to a slow season. As for the change of the beach, I don’t think the spring breaker’s can be blamed for changing the beach scene and causing people not to visit. I do believe it has alot to do with over developement of condominiums. From many comments I hear, this has had the most negative impact on Panama City Beach. You can no longer see the ocean in many areas while driving due to high rise condo’s that have taken over the beautiful landscape. No, I think the preblem with PC Beach doesn’t even begin with the spring breakers.
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I honestly don’t see Panama City Beach being able to survive without the college Spring Break crowd. Even looking around the beach now you can see tons of business that are closed down because they couldn’t keep the doors open during the offseason, and the few that remain open essentially live off of revenue from the Spring and Summer.
Besides, PCB isn’t ready for the families. We have a lot of work to do on our beach if we want to attract them.
I mean heck, has anyone taken a good look at the Shoppes at Edgewater recently? That place is starting to look like a run down ghost town. Empty spaces from closed businesses are everywhere, and even the ones that are still open look like crap on the outside. Alvin’s Island, once a veritable tourist attraction of its own, is a deteriorating shell of what it used to be since Marco Destin took over in 2004. Miracle Strip is gone. And all over the beach you have little pieces of unfinished construction lined off with cones, unpainted fences dangling on their hinges, lots with pipes sticking out of the ground from someone’s ill-fated investment. PCB to me right now just has a general feel of dinginess.
And don’t even blame that on the Breakers. We’ve let our beach fall to pieces because we are too busy blaming everything on them.
If PCB really wants to move away from being the “college spring break destination” then we have to start by taking care of ourselves. Finish the construction. Clear the half-finished lots. Try adding some landscaping along main drags. Basically look at places on the beach that know how to keep the “clean” look, like Pier Park or the Grand Panama plaza, and make the entire beach look like that. Then MAYBE you could start attracting the families.
Because if you try to chase out the College kids before you do that, then PCB is nothing more then a run down shadow of what it used to be. Do what needs to be done to get the families here, and the college kids will move on eventually.
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who is Richard Gibbens? his idea sounds so smart.
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2009 it was lil Wayne that caused problems and adults being concerned.
20110 it was BET ” ” ” ” ” ” ” .
When will this madness end/
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We started coming to PCB from Michigan during Easter breaks when the high school kids and families were here.. ..and it was wonderful..After retirement we became “Snowbirds” and truly LOVE PCB from Nov1 to March 1..and then starts the most horrible behavior possible by young college ‘adults’…urinmating on the beach –openly–defecating in the elevators of the condos…puking from one balcony to the one below…throwing fire extinguishers down at cars on the parking lots…so drunk they can not stand up…thousands of cases of beer carried out of Walmart…incredible destruction of the interiors of privately owned condos..all this I have seen with my own eyes! I cannot believe the profit from renting to these slobs covers the repairs!!
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Just got back from Spring back with the family at PCB. I think it is all in where you book your stay. If you stay in a condo with alot of college kids it could get ugly. We have been coming here for 10 years plus ( we usually vacation to PCB 3 or 4 times a year) and we know which condos to stay in during this time to avoid the spring breakers. I think we have stayed at over 10 or so different condos so we have a good grasp of the area and know where to go and what to avoid during spring break. The key is doing your research before going. If you dont you could end up in a horrible situation.
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Well said, Monica. Spring breakers aren’t that big of a problem. We don’t have a high crime rate during spring break. The majority of the time, the police are dealing with public intoxication, DUI, etc.. Bigger cities report rapes, gang fights, murders, daily. We hear about a single shooting during spring break and it gets around the clock coverage for 3-4 days. This might have been given a 10 second news clip in Miami, Orlando, or Tampa. These spring breakers are harmless for the most part. And who are we to tell them how to live their lives. The spring breakers arent at the family locations like the State Park, or eating at Capt. Andersons, Salt Water grill or Fire Fly. I think you can have family and college spring break here. Like Monica said, you just need to be selective in where you stay, enjoy the beach, and eat at.
A “family only” springbreak wouldn’t come close to generating the revinue the college spring break does. College Spring Break, is a necessity for the local economy…we should welcome them.
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Having first visited pcb in 1976 from Minnesota we found the place that would be our yearly vaccation destination for the next 33 years missing only 4 years when the kids were to young to travel. Seeing the changes through the years was less than subtle when only visiting once a year. Changes were for the most part good, but when the big high rises started eating up the landscape we could see the open beauty that was pcb, start to slowly disappear. Our trips were usually in the month of April to coincide with the kids school vacations, so we never were caught in the SPRING BREAK mania. We have recommended pcb to numerous people and everyone loved the trip and continue to enjoy pcb, however in the past two years some of our friends have spent February and March there. To say the least the SPRING BREAK experience soured them to the point that they say they wouldn’t go back if it were free. They say there thoughts are shared by many who say the last couple of years have gotten them to start looking elsewhere. From an outsider looking in I certainly wish it was more like it used to be, but who doesn’t wish for the good old days. We still love the pcb experiance and will continue to visit, its just to bad that the SPRING BREAK monicker that is now attached to pcb, and will be for quite some time, has to cast the dark cloud that it does over an otherwise delightful place to go.
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We’ve found PCB Spring Break to be worst then that in South Padra Island. Brought our family last year and was totally disgusted. My family was one of 4 families traveling together. I was embarrassed to have my children there. So were the other parents. It’s certainly not a family location when Spring Breakers are in town it’s more like a XXX movie that you just want to turn off but can’t. No morals, vulgarity, out of control drinking, litter, and fighting isn’t an environment for families. Why should we spend 7 days in a trashed city filled with the above. Why should any family??? Plenty of nicer places to go.
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Thank you Leo, that’s the feeling that a lot of locals have. But let us say that and out load or on any site we get jump. It’s all about the money. If you want to jump on me about my comment you can KISS MY GRITS!!!!!
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Why would families be here in March anyway? Aren’t schools break the week of Easter? Colleges are done with spring break by then
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