Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and law enforcement officials held a press conference Thursday, June 11, in Largo to address teen takeovers following multiple planned gatherings across Pinellas County in recent weeks, including a scheduled event in Clearwater Beach.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the press conference is to discuss how these events are being shared to address how these takeovers are resulting in criminial activity. For example, the Clearwater Beach incident from May 31, which involved a group of teens, mainly from Polk County, who traveled to the area after the event was advertised online. The gathering ended with a 16-year-old shooting a 17-year-old.
“These are criminal activities and not good for the community,” Gualtieri said.
Officials said residents, visitors and business owners should not have to worry about public spaces being taken over by large groups engaging in disruptive behavior. They also warned that teen takeovers can impact local businesses and Florida’s tourism industry, as videos of these events spread online.
Uthmeier said organizers are using social media to advertise dates and locations.
“We don’t believe it’s just random acts of chaos,” Uthmeier said.
The attorney general said the state will pursue those organizing and promoting these events.
“People do not have the right to riot,” Uthmeier said. “They don’t have the right to disrupt businesses.”
Pinellas County law enforcement has expanded its response, including establishing no-trespassing zones and deploying additional officers in areas where takeovers are expected.
Gualtieri said Clearwater Beach had about 60 officers on the beach after another possible teen takeover was announced. Officials said trespassing violations can result in felony charges, traffic fines can be doubled in enforcement areas and vehicles can be impounded for up to 72 hours.
“We are not playing,” Gualtieri said. "Here in Pinellas county and in state of Florida it is over. We are not doing this and parents need to be responsible for kids."
Officials said they have been able to prevent multiple take overs by identifying the organizers and visiting their homes.
Florida Highway Patrol Colonel Gary Howze said they will be partnering up with local law enforcement tackling these "take overs."
“These events are unlawful,” Howze said. “Anyone participating in a street takeover is committing a crime. Just participating or observing is a crime.”
Howze said they will continue upholding the rule of law as it is the foundation for a safe community.
Sixth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bruce Bartlett warned that juveniles involved in serious crimes could face adult charges. Whether its used or not, any individual with a firearm will be charged as an adult at the events.
"We are gong to charge every single thing we can do on these kids that are shooting each other in public areas where people are milling about and they're shooting at each other because of one little party beefing with another with no thought about life or consequences that they have," Bartlett said. So If you are gonna act like that, you're gonna get charged as an adult and parents need to understand that."
Officials are encouraging residents to report advertised takeover events or flyers to law enforcement. Agencies said they will continue monitoring gatherings throughout the summer and increase public safety efforts to prevent future incidents.