Sheriff's Office To Crack Down On Underage Spring Breakers' Drinking

The Florida Sheriff's Task Force is out to make sure that spring break in Manatee County doesn't turn out to be like Spring Breakers the movie.

The Florida Sheriff's Task Force, which the Manatee County Sheriff's Office participates in, launched Operation Dry Spring on Monday to target the safety of students on spring break.

The operation will last through April 7, aligning with the spring break schedule of most schools in Florida. Spring break is also the time when these students, the majority of which are under 21, choose to drink alcohol and experiment with illegal drugs, according to the task force.

In 2010, almost 190,000 young adults under the age of 21 visited an emergency room for injuries or conditions connected to the use of alcohol, according to the task force. The use of synthetic drugs such as bath salts and spice increased with more than 7,000 reported incidents in 2011, compared to just over 3,000 in 2010, according to the task force.

Anyone with information on illegal activity involving underage youth is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS.