Threat of Floatopia Closes IV Beaches

Following the debacle of Floatopia 2009—during which 12,000 revelers flooded Isla Vista shores—the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department will block off the beaches from 4/2-4/3 in preparation for Floatopia 2011, much as it did ahead of the planned 2010 beach bash. Last year’s beach closure, however, failed to quell students’ spirits, leading them to take the party to the streets for the informally dubbed “DPtopia” along Del Playa Drive. The 2009 event saw 33 hospitalizations, 78 citations, and 13 arrests, as well as immeasurable environmental damage from human waste, alcohol, and litter strewn along the coast and in the ocean. The Sheriff’s Department, along with the CHP and UC Police Department, will patrol the streets and beaches with upped staff numbers.