THINKING OF VACATIONING IN VOLUSIA CO. FLORIDA? THINK AGAIN! |
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XXFlorida's Volusia County, home of Daytona Beach, has an identity problem, of sorts. The vendors love the money they make from such events as Bike Week, Spring Break, & Black College Reunion. Unfortunately, the local officials loath these events because of the "undesirables" they attract. These officials would love to attract more families to the area. But let's face it: When familes come to Florida they typicly head for the Orlando area for the attractions to please their children. And when one thinks of Daytona Beach & the surrounding areas one does think of wild parties.
XXNow, the county officials have come up with a brilliant plan. Why not make money from the partyers just like the vendors hope to do? And the way they have chosen to do this is by passing some surprising new laws which you will not find out about until you are ticketed. SURPRISE! One is no public consumption of alcohol. You USED to be able to drink beer on the streets. Not any more. Pop open a frosty one & one of "Volusia's finest" will hand you a ticket.
XXBut here is the new law you will really love. It is the "bathing suit law." If a female (or maybe a male, too. This was never made clear ) should walk down the street wearing a bottom that shows "too much cheek," shall we say, that individual shall be ticketed for doing just that. How much is too much? Believe it or not, law enforcement officers actually carry a card around with them illustrating just what is acceptable. (A woman was ticketed under this law but it appeared from the picture of the shorts she was wearing that the ticketing officer used his own poor judgement rather than relying on the facts. Who will the next victim be?) It is legal to dress like this on the beach, which is owned by the state. But step off the beach, and...KA-CHING!
XXNow, for all you boaters out there. There is an interesting type of speed trap out on the rivers you should be aware of. It is the "Slow Speed, Minimum Wake" zone. This is not just in Volusia but all over Florida, although perhaps it is "milked" more in Volusia than elsewhere. What, exactly, is meant by "slow speed," in this case? Nobody can (or perhaps will) tell you. But just go faster than the powers that be believe is slow speed & you will become another "cash cow."
XXFlorida is a wonderful state, with many more hospitable beach communities without such wacky laws. But if you should choose to visit Volusia & wish to hold on to your hard-earned cash, remember: No drinking, no bathing, & no boating.
XXAddendum: Volusia is now planning on limiting or eliminating driving on "Florida's famous drive-on beaches" so add no driving to the list. They are NOW planning on turning Daytona Beach into a "family-friendly" resort by removing the arcades & fast-food places from the boardwalk & substituting expensive restaurants & hotels. So add no young adults to the list, also. Maybe what they are really trying to tell everyone is NO VISITING!
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Updated 5/4/04