Seaside Implements 6 pm Curfew Starting July 3rd for Unaccompanied Minors

We are aware of a series of incidents which occurred last night in Central Square and downtown Seaside along with a video circulating on social media showing one of the incidents where a firework was set off amongst a large gathering of teenagers.  

After a discussion with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, we have agreed that the best strategy to prevent any further disturbances and ensure the safety of our guests and staff is to enact an 6PM curfew through Saturday, July 6th. Walton County Sheriff’s Office will not allow unaccompanied minors into our community without parents. 

Our number one goal, shared by our law enforcement partners at the WCSO, is to ensure the safety of all who step foot on our property.  We want to make sure that we can all safely celebrate the 4th of July holiday, one of the biggest weeks of the year for our community.  

As we did during Spring Break this year, we are pleading with parents to be accountable for your teenage children.  We do not view these crowds as anything other than groups of children and young adults who could be potentially put in harm’s way because of careless and reckless behavior by a few individuals.  In order for us to successfully implement this curfew and break up this mob mentality, we are asking parents to locate and gather their children by 6PM.

This is a last resort and not a decision we make lightly.  We greatly appreciate everyone’s cooperation, including our Merchants, staff, guests, and the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.