A year after nearly 80 Alabama residents were arrested amid mass disorder in Panama City Beach and Panama City, the dust hasn’t fully settled. But as court proceedings grind on, local officials say they’re on a better footing than ever to handle similar trouble if it should arise during spring break 2023.

On the weekend of March 25-27, 2022, disruption in Panama City made national news. Unruly crowds forced the closure of roads and businesses, including a Walmart invaded by people who pulled down and threw merchandise. Gunfire broke out in broad daylight at a scene where a heavy law enforcement contingent was already present, causing a stampede and leaving one person with a gunshot wound in the foot.

By that Monday, local agencies reported making 161 arrests, including 78 people from Alabama, and confiscating around 75 guns. Local officials, including Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez and Panama City Police Chief Mark Smith were emphatic in saying that the group did not consist of typical spring breakers. They were criminals and troublemakers, they said, egged on by social media influencers promoting a gathering called “Panamaniac 2: The Final Invasion” or “PCB Takeover.”

Fast-forward to March 2023. Legal proceedings have produced a mixed bag of results. The two alleged ringleaders, accused of inciting riots, have preliminary hearings scheduled for early march.

Consider the case of 15 people, all from Alabama, who authorities said were charged in the riot at the Panama City Walmart. The arrests were announced by Panama City Beach police about two months after the incident; ages ranged from 17 to 37.

Charges announced at the time included inciting a riot, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and theft during a riot.

A survey of Bay County court records shows that seven of the 15 pleaded no contest to various charges. Those in this group paid fines and/or restitution in the range of several hundred dollars; were required to do 100 hours of community service; and received probation, generally for three years: Diamonta Marketz Johnson of Hayneville, Justin Christopher Hill of Lowndesboro, Gregoryun Dayquan McConico of Greenville, Daylan Amari Preyear of Tyler, Jamicah Jarkendrion Bailey of Greenville, Joshua Lavine McConico of Greenville and Markarius Tremaine Watson of Hayneville.

In this group of cases, court documents generally included a condition that the defendants were to stay out of Bay County Walmarts.

No record could be found of further proceedings against five, including one case in which a warrant was recalled because the wrong person had been identified.

Three of those charged have entered pleas of not guilty: Lamario Omar Lawrence of Tyler, Morris Lamar Davis of Hayneville and Earthy Jamar Watson of Minter. They have pretrial hearings set for early April. Also due for preliminary hearings in April: Rashad Boyce Glasper and Demarion Ty’Quan Cooper, the two Alabama men accused of being Panamaniac ringleaders.

“I look at it like this.” Panama City Beach Chief Talamantez said of the range of outcomes. “It’s our job, it’s our mission to identify probable cause when we’re conducting a criminal investigation and give that probable cause to the prosecutor’s office and work in conjunction with them to seek a reasonable conclusion to the case.”

Prosecutors will determine which cases rate jail time and which are better resolved via probation or other alternatives. “I’m perfectly fine with that,” Talamantez said. “As long as the people that we charge are convicted and adjudicated guilty, I think the message is clear that we’re not going to put up with that crap here in Panama City Beach.”

Talamantez said he’s been around long enough to see it all, when it comes to spring break, and officials are ready to deal with whatever might arise in 2023 after the challenges of 2022.

“I say look, we’re prepared, not paranoid,” he said. “Activity that comes with spring break is nothing new to Panama City Beach. Typically that third week in March is a week that we see an increase in the amount of guns that are here, an increase in the amount of people that are from your neck of the woods, and you know, they come down here and try to commit the same type of crime they commit in Alabama. And I’m sorry, but this is Florida. There are certain things you can get away with in Alabama that you will not get away with in Florida. Especially this beach.”

The Panama City News Herald reported March 15 that police had arrested more than 250 people so far this spring break. Talamantez said most of the charges related to “traditional spring break criminal offenses … in line with what we see almost every March.” In the same story, Talamantez told the paper he’d been notified by an Alabama agency that they’d intercepted a group traveling to the Panama City Beach area with firearms and ski masks.

Much like law enforcement agencies in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Talamantez is comfortable with tough talk about spring break.

“We want you to come down here and have fun,” he said. “We want you to come down here and enjoy yourself, enjoy the beach. But if want to come down here and commit crimes, and disrupt everybody else’s good time, you won’t be checking into your hotel. You’ll be checking into the Bay County Jail. We have a lovely establishment there. We were even contemplating putting some beach sand outside the jail, to make them feel a little bit more comfortable.”

There’s been at least one TV news report of fliers for another “takeover” event that are causing local concerns. Officials have said in the past that it can be hard to tell whether such promotions actually will result in problematic gatherings. Talamanez said his level of concern is about the same as in any year. It’s possible that the people behind the fliers are taunting the community or testing the waters.

“That’s fine,” he said. “It’s a free country. We cannot control who comes to town, nor should we ever try to.”

However, should trouble arise, local officials have at least one major new tool in their toolbox, he said. Florida has a new law that allows communities “to declare an area a special event zone” with tougher enforcement of existing ordinances.

“You commit an offense, a traffic infraction in this specific zone, that seat belt ticket that’s typically a hundred and thirty bucks, well now it’s $260,” he said. “All right. Historically we don’t tow people’s vehicles for traffic infractions. This specific law, now allows us, if you are driving down the roadway and you’ve got one of your idiot friends hanging out the window trying to yell at girls, or if you’re impeding the flow of traffic, well, you’re going to get pulled over, you’re going to be cited, double fine, and we’re going to tow your car, and it will be held for a couple of days.

“It helps us increase enforcement,” he said. “It comes with a set of regulations, rules that we have to follow in regard to the advertisement of the special event zone and the signs we’ve got to post. But all of that has been taken into consideration.

“Trust me,” he said. “One of the very first things we did when the governor passed this law, I went to have a bunch of damn signs made.”

In the aftermath of last year’s events, Panama City Beach gave its city manager the unilateral authority to declare a state of civil emergency. Such a declaration could include curfews, alcohol bans and the closure of public and private gathering places, among other measures that could be applied to specific parts of the city.

Panama City Police Chief Mark Ford cited the creation of special event zones, as well as other legal changes.

“We’re participating in a partnership with other law enforcement agencies in our area to cut down or deter some of the criminal activities that occurred last Spring Break,” he said.

“In the City of Panama City, we have enacted city ordinances that allow for the closure of businesses over capacity and [those that have] large gathering in parking lots. In addition, the state has passed legislation to allow for the creation of a Special Event Zone, in which the police department has the ability to shut down a venue, if necessary, double any fines, and allows for the towing of vehicles from within the zone. In addition, business owner or promotors of large events could be held responsible for the cost of enforcement of the Special Event Zone.

This week Bay County, Panama City and Panama City Beach all announced plans to have Special Event Zones in place for the coming weekend, the anniversary of last year’s turmoil.

“All of these actions are a deterrent to those who intend to come to our city with bad intentions in mind,” Ford said. “We will use these tools as well as extra patrols where necessary to keep our citizens and visitors safe.”

Out-of-state visitors prepared to start trouble should be mindful of the gantlet they’ll have to run afterward. It’s not just local agencies that will be after them: It’s state agencies such as the Florida Highway Patrol, other city and county agencies throughout the Panhandle and cooperating agencies in Alabama.

“We stand by our slogan, this is a real fun beach, but it’s not a real fun jail,” Talamantez said.