Governor Kemp signs Senate Bill 443 ahead of Orange Crush 2024
State legislation for the weekend of April 19-21 now mandated
On the morning of April 8, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp enacted Senate Bill 443 (SB 443) – the legislation targeted towards making unpermitted event promoters accountable for monetary damages incurred by municipalities. Becoming law with immediate effect, SB 443 appears as a precautionary step to regulate Orange Crush, the annual HBCU beach festivity, scheduled in the forthcoming weeks of April 19 -21 on Tybee Island.
Initiated in response to preceding years’ Orange Crush festivities, SB 443 was introduced by State Senator Benjamin Watson (R – Savannah). In the prior year, the event garnered attendance by approximately 111,100 over a three-day span. This led to the allocation of $187,520 for surveillance by Tybee officials during that period.
Senator Watson expressed his gratitude and support for Governor Kemp in a statement after the bill was signed into law. He emphasized the importance of preventing instances where event organizers sidestep local permitting regulations and eventually saddle the residents with the expense of clean-ups and response costs stemming from unpermitted events.
About Senate Bill 443
Applicable to any event hosted by an organizer or promoter who fails to acquire the proper permit from the local governing authority, SB 443 has been designed to tackle situations resulting in a public nuisance. The law particularly addresses situations that cause hindrance to the travel of public safety personnel, including the police, fire service, and emergency medical services, as well as employees or officials of local, state, or federal governments acting in their official capacities.
The enforcement of SB 443 signifies that unpermitted event planners must be cognizant of their responsibility to finance any costs linked with troublesome events they orchestrate.
Tybee’s Response to the New Law
Brian West, Mayor of Tybee Island, has consistently expressed his concerns and hopes that the Orange Crush event would be relocated away from the island. Appreciating the support of Senator Watson, Governor Kemp, and Rep. Petrea, he conveyed his expectation that the introduction of this legal apparatus would cater to the higher costs of responding to promoter-driven events, bypassing the permitting process.
While the authorities hope that they won’t have to enforce this law, they are firm on using it as a strategic tool in their arsenal against promoters who place overwhelming pressure on public safety resources and instigate financial stress on their taxpayers.
This development in the Georgia legislative landscape marks an attempt to balance the festive spirit of events like Orange Crush with the safety, financial feasibility, and public order of the host locations. Any updates on this story will be reported as they develop.
