What Biloxi’s new laws on parking, vendors, pop-up parties mean for Black Spring Break
Mississippi Black Spring Break is coming to the Coast from April 11 to 14 and there are new laws to follow in Biloxi this year.
“We’ve made every other event uphold these new ordinances,” Police Chief John Miller said Tuesday, and the rules will be enforced for spring break, he said.
With thousands of people expected to gather on the Biloxi beach and at clubs in Gulfport, traffic, parking and safety are among the chief concerns in Biloxi.
These are the new regulations in Biloxi, adopted in October 2023, and how they will be enforced for spring break and other Tier 1 events, where more than 1,000 people are expected:
Parking and pedestrians
Biloxi Council denied a permit for parking on an empty lot north of U.S. 90 when the new regulations weren’t followed. No other permits were filed with the city, and the special events ordinances don’t allow for people to open parking lots on their properties without a permit..
Limited parking spaces are available in pull-off bays on the beach side of U.S., meaning most spring breakers will have to search for a place to park north of 90 and cross the four-lane highway to get to the beach.
The large number of pedestrians crossing the busy highway is dangerous, especially at night, Miller said.
The Coast Coliseum parking lot on U.S. 90 will close at 5 p.m. Friday, after the spring break concert scheduled there on Saturday was canceled by the promoter.
“Ticket sales were not at the level they needed to be from an advance sales standpoint,” said Matt McDonnell, executive director of the coliseum.
Some residential subdivisions in Biloxi have only one way in and out, and vehicles that block traffic and emergency access in those areas will be towed, according to the ordinances.
Traffic and orange cones
Saturday night typically is the busiest time for spring break on the beach between the coliseum and the mall. Biloxi will again use orange cones, if needed, to reduce traffic on the four lanes of U.S. 90 to one lane in each direction, with the additional lanes for use by police and other emergency vehicles.
The cones slow traffic, which makes it easier for pedestrians to cross the highway to get to the beach.
Food vendors and peddlers
The new mobile food ordinance requires a vending permit good for two consecutive days, with fees of $75 per vendor vehicle for those already permitted in the city or $300 for those without an existing permit.
Because spring break doesn’t have a permit, no permits are issued for spring break food vendors and peddlers selling souvenirs and other items, said Jerry Creel, community development director.
If vendors don’t have written authorization from the property owner and a special event permit, police will require the manager to move from the lot, said Biloxi Councilman Paul Tisdale, in whose ward most of the spring break activities occur.
Pop-up parties
Miller said he’s aware of pop-up parties and ticket sales being advertised on social media again this year, with no location announced.
“We believe it to be in Biloxi,” he said. “These are not legitimate folks,” he said. If their events are in Biloxi, he said, they will be shut down.
Rules of the beach
The beach in South Mississippi is public and open to all, but Harrison County Sand Beach Authority has rules for use.
The beach vendors who rent jet skis, umbrellas and chairs are licensed by the season.
Harrison County Supervisors turned down an application from the spring break organizers for amplified sound on the beach and said no commercial activities will be allowed on the sand for spring break.
Among the other rules are:
No tents or structures after dark
No glass, china or pottery
No animals of any kind
No firearms, air guns or bow and arrows
No fireworks
No fires, except those permitted by the Sand Beach Authority
Safety and security
Biloxi joins Miami Beach and several other spring break destinations that imposed curfews or took other steps to reduce violence and promote safety.
The police chief in Panama City Beach, Florida — four hours from Biloxi — posted a Facebook message to parents of spring breakers.
“If your teenager arrived with the misconception that this is an opportunity for unrestrained behavior and that leniency will be extended, they are mistaken, and allowing them to come unsupervised was a misjudgment.”
The safety of the citizens in Biloxi and the people at the events — “That’s my job,” Miller said. He suspects somebody will step up in the future with a good plan for parking, traffic and other issues for spring break, he said, “Just like the rest of the events had to do.”
