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Virginia Beach council unanimously adopts temporary Oceanfront curfew for unaccompanied minors
Summary
The Virginia Beach City Council voted 11-0 March 12 to adopt a temporary curfew ordinance for unaccompanied minors in a defined Oceanfront area; the police chief described geographic boundaries and exemptions and said enforcement will prioritize warnings and voluntary compliance.
The Virginia Beach City Council voted 11-0 on March 12 to approve a temporary curfew for unaccompanied minors in a defined Oceanfront area, authorizing additional measures to assist law enforcement.
Mayor Bobby Dyer called the special session and said the meeting would begin with a closed session for legal advice before the council considered the ordinance in open session. The council certified the closed session as compliant with state law by an 11-0 vote.
Council member Jennifer said parents had raised concerns about how the curfew would affect children attending events, citing an example of what she described as a reported curfew of "7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m." and asking, "what about kids that have ring dance that are going to events or dance? They're participating in sporting events." She asked council to clarify exemptions and the geographic reach of the measure before the vote.
The Virginia Beach Police Chief responded that the ordinance would apply to a clearly defined Oceanfront zone "from Rudy Loop to 31st Street, west to Pacific," and that the department would allow normal exemptions "to and from legitimate events." The chief said the department would seek voluntary compliance first — using requests, warnings and persuasion — and only resort to detentions if cooperation was not achieved; the chief also said enforcement in prior years resulted in fewer than 60 actions.
The council opened the vote and approved the ordinance by a recorded tally of 11 yes, 0 no. The clerk reported that there were no public speakers for the item. With no further business, Mayor Dyer closed the special session.
The ordinance authorizes a temporary additional curfew for unaccompanied minors and unspecified additional measures to assist law enforcement at the resort area; the transcript did not specify the ordinance number, the effective dates, or the exact text of exemptions beyond the chief's description. The council did not record any public-comment speakers on the ordinance during the session.
