A Florida sheriff is suing two Georgia women, accusing them of organizing and promoting a “Spring Break Invasion” in Daytona Beach that spiraled into chaos and drove more than $800,000 in emergency policing costs, including helicopters and drones.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, seeks more than $100,000 in damages from Aliyah Brooks and Brittany Plummer, alleging their social media promotion of the “Daytona Spring Break 2k26” event strained law enforcement and endangered the public, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
The spring break “invasion” required a major surge in law enforcement staffing, resulting in 546 regular-duty hours and 1,394 overtime hours, for a total cost of $811,421, the lawsuit states.
Spanning two weeks in March, the events drew mostly college-aged attendees from Central Florida, Georgia, and other southern states. A total of 133 people were arrested between Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach for various offenses, Chitwood previously revealed at a news conference.
“At various points, there were stampedes caused by individuals making explosive noises with water bottles (to simulate a gunshot). It is a miracle no one was shot,” the lawsuit states, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
People in the crowd were openly carrying firearms, the suit alleges, noting that while open carry is legal, the large, dense crowd created a “flashpoint” for potential danger.
There were four separate shootings that occurred over the weekend within city limits, though none took place on the beach itself, officials said last month.
“The Invasion created chaos and mayhem in Daytona Beach and was widely reported in the media. This notoriety was an intended result of the promotors' deliberate actions and disregard for public welfare,” the suit states, per Daytona Beach News-Journal.
The lawsuit alleges that Brooks, a student at Kennesaw State University and former owner of Too Dope Events, LLC, continued using the dissolved company to promote events online under the alias “real aliyah.” It also claims local officials warned Brooks and the company that permits were required and events had to follow local regulations, but neither responded.
Plummer allegedly operates multiple social media accounts, including “partyplugboosie” and “Brittany.plummer.12,” and was informed by officials that permits were required for the events, according to the suit. She responded that “she was not conducting any activities that require a permit,” despite the warning.
The suit also states that Brooks did not attend the event. However, Plummer did and posted on social media, “decrying local government efforts to keep everyone safe and otherwise attempted to maximize her gains from the Invasion,” according to court documents.
"Promotors who don’t obtain permits profit while law-abiding businesses suffer from unfair competition,” Chitwood's lawsuit states.
The suit also claims that local businesses remained shut or didn’t open at all and were forced to clean up the mess left by party goers. Businesses allegedly lost money while promoters profited.
Attorney Aaron Delgado filed the sheriff’s lawsuit seeking over $100,000 in damages.
His firm also represents two local businesses, Hog Heaven and Made in the Shadem that filed similar suits, claiming losses from property damage, cleanup costs and reputational harm linked to the events, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Each business is seeking between $75,001 and $100,000 in damages, according to court cover sheets reviewed by the outlet.
The Independent has reached out to Brooks and Plummer for comment.
