Local

Orange Park Mall issues reminder ahead of spring break & following recent security threats

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Heading into spring break, the Orange Park Mall is reminding guests of its code of conduct. This also comes after a pair of security incidents at the mall over the past month. In just the last few weeks, Action News Jax has reported on two separate such cases.

The first included a large fight involving around 2,000 juveniles, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Then came the second incident, which was just last weekend, where a fake call came into deputies about a man with an AR-15 and a grenade.

“I actually do stay away from the mall just because of everything that I’ve seen and heard on the news,” David Furbee, an Orange Park resident, told Action News Jax on Saturday.

Furbee also pointed to the increasing amount of unsupervised and rowdy teenagers coming to the mall as what he believes to be the culprit.

“Kids today, they really need to know how to respect other people, unfortunately, it’s something that’s just not happening. Again, it’s a rarity that I’m here,” Furbee said.

Meanwhile, one woman that Action News Jax spoke to at the mall on Saturday says she feels confident the mall is valuing the safety of its customers.

“They beefed up security, so I’m really not worried about it,” said Shaletha McGee. “I walked in the mall and it’s a lot of security and a lot of police officers walking around. So, they’re kinda making sure we’re safe due to the recent activity.”

Now, Orange Park Mall is taking the chance to remind residents of its code of conduct ahead of spring break travel. Their statement provided to Action News Jax on Sunday is attached in full below:

We do not accept the following:

Violations of federal, state, or local law.Any activity that threatens the safety of our guests, retailers, or employees.Any activity that threatens the well-being of our property.Any activity that disrupts our enjoyable, family-friendly environment.Any activity inconsistent with the general purpose of our shopping center.Any activity that would disrupt normal business activity.

Failure to comply with this Code of Conduct or the lawful or reasonable requests by the center management or security personnel may result in your loss of the privilege to use the shopping center and/or criminal prosecution, where applicable.”

“As we gear up to prepare for the Spring Breakers over the next few weeks, Orange Park Mall would like to take a moment to thank our partners at Clay County Sheriff’s Office for working closely with us to keep our guests, retail partners and staff safe.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office also provided Action News Jax with a statement on Saturday reminding the public that if they see something to say something but to also stay safe and have fun this spring break.

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