PANAMA CITY BEACH — For about two weeks in April, people will be barred from a portion of the Beach at night.
The decision came during a Panama City Beach City Council meeting on Thursday, when officials voted to temporarily prohibit beach access along a stretch of the Gulf of Mexico that spans from about Churchwell Drive to the east end of South Thomas Drive. The area will be closed 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. from April 1 to April 13.
"Last year we had an issue with large groups (gathering on the beach at night) around the first week of April to mid-April," Chief Drew Whitman of the Beach Police said during the meeting.