Jacksonville Beach, Fla. — From Georgia to Jacksonville, Orange Crush is officially here.
The city of Jacksonville and Jacksonville beach are expected to see over 20,000 people over the course of the weekend.
Local organizer Stephan Smith said he doesn’t want this to be a negative event.
“Nobody is coming with the mindset there’s going to be violence. They’re coming with the mindset to have fun,” Smith said. “We’re going to have peace, we’re going to live and do a great job of representing the city to tourists.”
The first event on Friday is held at The Justice Pub in Downtown.
The taproom manager of Bold City brewery, which is about two blocks away, said they’re not worried for what’s to come and have spoken to staff about it.
“Observing what’s going on, if we’re getting a big influx and need more help and if there is a safety concern for whatever reason, obviously we can communicate about that and take necessary precautions for that,” Will Frazier said.
The festival is spread across the city of Jacksonville and Frazier thinks it’ll be a big economic boost.
“It could be really beneficial for the city, not just one area,” Frazier said.
Action News Jax asked Mayor Chris Hoffman what progress was made when speaking with organizers. In an emailed response, the mayor stated:
“The ‘organizers’ seem to have been focused on drawing a large crowd to the area with no real plan on what they will do when they get here. Unlike our usual large events and festivals, we have no insight on what to anticipate with regards to traffic, how many people, locations, etc. There is not enough on the ‘official’ schedule to keep the alleged 20,000 visitors entertained which leaves a lot of room for uncertainty.”
In a public release, JSO Sheriff Mike Williams said they are happy to have collaborated with the event, saying:
“I am confident the men and women of JSO will provide an exceptional level of service to both our residents and our visitors for this busy weekend. As always, JSO is here to assist anyone in need. we want everyone to have a safe and fun weekend.”
On Sunday, an event is being held at Huguenot Park. In a statement to Action News Jax, the city said:
“At this time, no one from Orange Crush crush has reached out to anyone with the city of Jacksonville requesting to use the park. We have been working with public safety members and the local beach communities to plan for these events.”
Local organizer, Smith, said he understands the organization could’ve been better and is asking for festival-goers to be safe.
“There will be no fights and if they think it’s going to be fights, the police will stop it,” Smith said. “Jax Beach and the city.”
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