Island Preparing For New Mix Of Spring Breakers

By R. Daniel Cavazos

Police Chief Claudine O'Carroll has been with the SPI police department since 1998 and is making final preparations to prepare the community for  spring break 2022.

Claudine O'Carroll has been a part of the South Padre Island Police Department since 1998, a tenure that well prepares the police chief for the upcoming rigors of spring break.

The list of preparations is lengthy in getting the Island ready for a population surge that will take the community from about 3000 residents to well over 50,000 with the onrush of seasonal visitors. Chief O'Carroll summarized those preparations recently during a presentation at a community breakfast sponsored by the South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce.

"We plan for the worst and hope for the best," O'Carroll told those gathered for the Chamber meeting at the Padre Island Brewing Co.

She and her department have been busy in recent weeks adding to their support staff in departments, with more jail personnel being one example cited. More officers will also be on hand during those busy weeks in March going into April for Semana Santa. It will be all hands-on-deck during those peak weeks when the police department will likely receive over 100 calls a day from residents and visitors seeking assistance.

Helping during those busy days will be law enforcement entities from state and federal agencies. Personnel from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are all expected to assist the SPI police department in handling the crush of spring break activities.

"It's a lifeline for us," O'Carroll said of the assistance coming from the state and federal agencies. "We’re a small town. The help we get from our partners is very important and much appreciated."

An Emergency Operating Center will be set up at SPI City Hall in serving as a hub for city police and fire department administrators and their state and federal partners. Included in those efforts will be monitoring social media chatter and detecting any possible threats before they become more serious matters.

"I believe we’re ready," the chief said of the planning leading up to the spring break weeks of March and April.

Tom & Jerry's Bar & Grill. Spring breakers during March are increasingly coming from family groups, which could benefit local restaurants.

Pandemic Brings Changes

The nature and mix of spring breakers have changed over the last two years.

The pandemic is the reason why.

The imagery and reality of college-aged spring breakers rollicking up-and-down the Island gave way in 2020 and 2021 to the more sedate demographic of family groups. Going to the Island was a welcome reprieve from the restrictions of family entertainment activities during COVID-19.

The disruptions of COVID-19 decimated the normality of college life and academic schedules. The void left by college students who were usually Island-bound in March was filled by families that normally stayed away during those weeks of youthful celebrations.

"COVID was a negative, but it also gave us a new (spring break) audience," said Teresa Rodriguez, the senior marketing and communications manager for the South Padre Island Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We saw more tourists from other parts of the country."

The college-aged market is still much valued with marketing efforts dedicated to reaching them in again making SPI a spring break destination, Rodriguez said. Spring budget dollars were allocated between the youthful spring breaker and family group demographic groups. It's an indication the visitors bureau now sees the latter as visitors who will come back in March to add to college students expected to return in 2022.

"I would say a lot of the families are looking to come back," Chief O'Carroll said. "I think we’ll have a mix, but I’m speculating."

The convention and visitors bureau believes college-aged spring breakers have a growing interest in wildlife and environmental issues, which could lead to more visitors at area birding centers.

Seeking Adventure & Nature

The mix of the spring break population isn’t the only shift the convention and visitors bureau is seeing.

Rodriguez said the profile of the college-aged spring breaker is changing. Rodriguez said the typical spring breaker is staying for shorter durations of time on the Island. Those who come during their breaks from college aren’t coming only for the beach and entertainment festivities, she said.

"They are more environmentally aware," Rodriguez said of how the younger spring break group has changed. "They are interested in nature and adventure."

This could mean an uptick of visitors to the area world birding centers and the national wildlife refuge areas for hiking and bird watching. The spring breakers may also be drawn to learning more about sea turtle rescue efforts and related projects on the Island, she said.

No matter the mix of spring break visitors – and how that may be changing – the SPI city manager, Randy Smith, said the experience of his staff across all departments in dealing with hectic spring break weeks will serve the city well.

"We have a long-tenured staff, so we can adapt," Smith said at the chamber meeting. "If something pops up tomorrow, we will know how to address it."

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