‘I had a timeeeeee’: Florida resident explains why you shouldn’t go to Panama City Beach for spring break this year
A Florida resident says spring break in Panama City Beach, Florida, is "no longer what it used to be" and warns that people looking to have a debaucherous time at "outrageous beach parties" should look elsewhere.
In a viral video, TikToker Randi Burkett (@randigaylord_) tells viewers about her time working at a bar in Panama City Beach and the mayhem that would unfold during March and April. The video has over 919,800 views and more than 2,500 comments as of the publication of this article.
"Now, for most people that didn't live here, that was only a week. But for us locals, it was from the end of February until basically April. This 24/7, every single day," Burkett says in reference to the parties she says would occur on the beach all day during spring break.
Many viewers reminisced about Panama City Beach's prime spring break days in the comments section.
"PCB spring break 2013 I had a timeeeeee," one commenter wrote.
"I went to MTV spring break in 2004 in pcb," a second said.
"I went to spring break at PCB in 2008. Stayed at the same hotel that MTv had set up at. Saw Flo-Rida out there and saw the yin yang twins at club laVela," another shared.
However, Burkett says the excitement around Panama City Beach spring break began to dwindle after a few events caused a series of safety concerns, and the rise of social media created a platform for these concerns to be amplified.
@randigaylord_ #greenscreen #springbreak #pcb #panamacitybeach #pcbspringbreak #florida #panamacitybeachflorida ♬ original sound - Randiburkett
"So, according to the news media outlets, 2015 is when Panama City spring break really started to take a turn for the worst," she says. "And why is that you may ask? That's 'cause of social media. Because things were happening. There's always been crime during spring break in Panama City [for] obvious reasons, [like] kids getting way too drunk. A huge thing that used to happen is people falling off of balconies, drinking too much, falling off of balconies, usually ending in them falling to their demise. But it really started to take a turn when social media was introduced because they weren't able to hide these things."
Burkett lists a few events that she says led to further regulations. One of these events was the alleged gang rape of a possibly drugged woman while "hundreds" of bystanders watched, as CNN reported in 2015. Another event was a house party where seven people were shot that same year during spring break, as reported by The Florida Times-Union.
The TikToker says a strict set of ordinances that limit drinking and large groups in public spaces were enforced as a result of these events and the media attention they received. These ordinances are still in effect today, and the full list can be viewed on Panama City Beach's government website.
"If you wanna come down here, be good, and respect our beaches, come on and have a good time," Burkett says. "But if you're trying to go somewhere and be a degenerate, I wouldn't come here if I were you 'cause they are so quick to throw you in jail for acting up.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Burkett via TikTok comment for more information.
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