There is concern about big parties popping up in Palm Beach County parks. The most recent was Sunday at Lake Ida Park in Delray Beach.
The county says organizers don't get permits for the events and it can lead to serious problems.
The sheriff's office told county commissioners hundreds of people showed up for a jet ski party Sunday. The large crowd forced deputies to shut down access to Lake Ida Park because it was at capacity.
“We were out there on our own accord, minding our own business,” explained Chevy Sanders, who videotaped the gathering for his social media entertainment site ChevyD TV.
He said the group didn't bother any one at the park, or stop other park visitors from accessing the park.
County Commissioner Steven Abrams told NewsChannel 5 he heard of complaints from people who said this big party kept them from getting into the park.
“It does qualify as a special event,” Abrams explained.
He's worried about public safety and traffic; issues he said the county can't prepare for if it doesn't know ahead of time that hundreds of people will be showing up.
Organizers of Sunday’s event said they didn't get a permit because they thought it was only required if they used a pavilion and they didn't. Parks and Recreation leaders say a gathering of this size requires a special event permit.
Abrams said the county is now monitoring ads on social media promoting these park events hoping they can reach out to organizers before they big groups show up. They've already seen posts for gatherings at John Prince and Caloosa Parks.
County officials also want to make sure organizers get a permit. That costs $150 for a pavilion on a weekend. And ranges up to about $1,000 for a special event, depending on how big the party's expected to be.
Sanders said if paying for a permit allows these events to continue, organizers will reluctantly do it.
“I don't think that's right, but if that's what we gotta do, then we gotta do the right thing,” he said.
