Jacksonville Beach is denying HBCU Beach Day’s event permit.

Only a week from the third HBCU Beach Day, scheduled for April 12, organizers have received a cease and desist letter from city officials who said the permit application was denied for being submitted less than 90 days in advance, First Coast News reported.

“It’s historical for the Black community,” HBCU Beach Day organizer Tyree Jackson told the outlet. “Just to bring everyone together and just to show everyone that we can come together and we can have a good time, and we can do everything the right way without having any issues.”

Jackson and another organizer, Jarrod Gunn, told First Coast News they submitted paperwork for the permit in March and thought they’d received initial approval.

“We weren’t told that we can’t even have the event,” Jackson stated. “From the email, we thought that everything was a go.”

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Jackson and Gunn mentioned they received the cease and desist letter in late March, which warned of consequences if they proceed with the event despite not having a permit.

“There’s rules, state statutes, there’s city ordinances, all of those are in place to protect everybody from the people that are visiting here,” Jacksonville Beach Police Department Sgt. Tonya Tator said.

But Jackson and Gunn countered that it’s too late to cancel and are hoping to reach an agreement with the city.

“People already booked hotel rooms, Airbnbs, got rental cars and all types of stuff,” Jackson shared.

First Coast News reported submitting a public records request regarding all event correspondence. On Thursday, Jacksonville Beach City Manager Mike Staffopoulos released the following statement to the outlet:

“The City of Jacksonville Beach received an inquiry from Mr. Tyree Jackson to produce a special event in Jacksonville Beach. Mr. Jackson was provided a Special Event application along with a copy the City’s Special Events Policy via email.

The application requires a signature along with acknowledgement that the applicant has received and read the Special Events Policy.

Mr. Jackson completed the application and submitted it via email on March 10, 2025, requesting an event date for April 12, 2025.

The permit was denied because it was not timely filed according to the requirements within the Special Events Policy.

In order to maintain successful, save events, it is imperative that the Special Events Policy is strictly and consistently enforced with all applicants.”

Jacksonville Beach

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