This year PCB has cracked down hard after the lawlessness of last year where a student was raped on the beach, there were shootings and guns were confiscated. Drinking has been outlawed on the beach for the entire month of March. Add in a heavier police presence and the crowds are way down.
That brings us back to Destin. The authorities were worried the younger crowd would be coming over to Destin with the crackdown on PCB and in Walton County. The police here have instituted a zero tolerance policy when it comes to underage drinking. If you are not of legal drinking age and are caught you will go to jail. From there you have to post bail, have someone come get you and you even get your mug shot in the paper.
The police say they are not looking in everyone’s cups but will respond where there is a disturbance. Like the call they got at 11 am of some guys walking down the middle of a street hollering. Yep, 11 am and they were drunk. About 15 -20 arrest are being made each day. The message is being sent. I am not an old stick in the mud. As anyone who reads this blog knows I like to party but I do so with respect for others and I always clean up behind myself and don’t leave the beach trashed like a lot of Spring Breakers do. I also don’t puke at the Crab Island Cantina bar at 4 in the afternoon or in the elevator of Harry T’s at 5:00 like happened last week. Anyway, it looks like Destin and Okaloosa County is handling things well.
Speaking of partying…Last Friday night we had our ECPHC meeting at Landshark Pizza. Another big crowd of over 100 folks came out to listen to the music of Drop Dead Dangerous. Melanie Howe and Kitty Steadman are DDD. They had Paul and JD from Southern Drawl Band join them this weekend. What a great show they put on. The club raised money and everyone had a great time. Landshark took good care of us too!
Speaking of Landshark Pizza, they won the “Best in Destin” award for the best pizza in town. Congrats to Brian and Sue!
Saturday Sunshine Cindy drove to Atlanta to pick up her daughter Tiffany. Tiffany is on Spring Break and will be with us for a week. They drove back to Destin on Sunday. On Saturday I did a bunch of errands while Sunshine Cindy was gone. In the afternoon I headed to Landshark for a pizza. I got their El Diablo pizza. This is made with Buffalo Sauce, Habaneros and fresh cut Jalapeños. Yes, it’s hot but oh so good. LOL
Then on Sunday Drop Dead Dangerous was playing at Crab Island Cantina. Sunday was a perfect day weather wise. With the clocks turned up an hour we get that extra hour of sunshine in the evening now and I got my first bit of a tan for the year. DDD played from 1-5 with BT playing while they took breaks. They put on a fun show. DDD is touring the country. Check them out if they get to your area.
I am hearing that more businesses along the harbor will be charging up to $20 per car to park this season. I am afraid they are killing the golden goose along the harbor. It’s hard enough to get around in the summer as it is. If you can’t park people will stop going. And parking on the north side of 98 means you have to take your life in your hands to cross the highway. I can see a lot of businesses that will have a hard time staying open. Time will tell…
The new Wendy’s is open in Destin. They closed down their older restaurant and built this new place in front of Home Depot. The old Wendy’s building is undergoing renovations and will be opening soon as a Panini sandwich shop.
It’s going to be another busy week in town. Paul Roush playing at LuLu’s on Wednesday…St. Paddy’s Day pub crawls…Taco and Tequila Festival on the harbor on Saturday…Yep, it’s going to be another fun time in Destin to “Embrace the Chaos!” Check out the Crab Island Mambo “Weekly Update” page for all the parties and hot spots to hit along the Emerald Coast. I update it each Wednesday. Be sure to bookmark it to follow the fun! http://crabislandmambo.com/Weekend-Update.html
Enjoy…I will have a full report next Monday!
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