The mandatory curfews enacted across the entirety of Flagler and Volusia counties have both been extended, according to announcements from each county's law enforcement agencies. Both counties adopted separate curfews in order to help keep the roads clear for emergency response personnel and to keep residents from driving into hazardous conditions.
Already the Volusia Sheriff's Office has confirmed multiple responses to vehicles which drove into flooded or otherwise dangerous roadways. Officials want residents of both counties to limit their outings to what's strictly necessary so that manpower and resources can be concentrated on where they're needed most.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday afternoon that their curfew would be resumed that evening for the same hours it applied to during the storm. Starting at 7:00 pm Thursday and continuing until 7:30 am Friday, residents are not allowed on the roads for the second straight night.
Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said his deputies would potentially arrest violators of the curfew who did not fall into one of several allotted exceptions. Those who are allowed to travel during the curfew include law enforcement personnel, emergency responders, utility workers, those in a medical emergency, and Salvation Army and Red Cross personnel. Additionally, those traveling to and from their jobs are permitted out on the roads under curfew.
The Volusia Sheriff's Office announced on Thursday that a mandatory curfew would be resumed for a second night that evening into Friday. The curfew will resume at 9:00 pm on Thursday, and run until 5:00 am on Friday. Whether the curfew will recur Friday night into Saturday remains to be seen, depending on the state of the roadways and the amount that floodwaters have rescinded.
Those who knowingly violate the curfew may be subject to up to a $500 fine, and/or sixty days in jail. Exceptions to curfew include law enforcement personnel, emergency responders, and regular employees of businesses going to and from work.
