ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Orange Park Mall has begun enforcing a new safety policy that took effect Friday at 4 p.m. The policy requires children under 18 to be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 on Fridays and Saturdays.
The change follows an incident that happened in July, when a large group of teens held an unauthorized pop-up party. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office helped clear hundreds of kids from the property that night. Parents were called to pick up their children. No arrests or fights were reported during that event.
It has also been two months since Second Horizon Capital purchased the mall, signaling a new chapter for the property.
Heather, a local mother, said she supports the new policy because she believes the mall can be dangerous at night on the weekends.
“I have a teenager who likes to go to the movies and go shopping a lot, and he is absolutely not allowed to go to Orange Park Mall after dinner time on the weekends,” she said.
She added that while the new rules mean parents or guardians will need to accompany teens to the mall, she supports the change. “Yeah, and that’s fine. We’ll just see if it works, give it some time. I don’t think it could hurt,” Heather said.
At the mall, security measures are now more visible. Several security checkpoints have been set up outside the entrances, where guards check IDs and issue wristbands to those under 18. Inside the mall, additional checkpoints monitor those who may have entered without passing through the initial screening.
The mall has experienced several incidents in recent years in addition to what happened over the summer.
In 2023, the mall was cleared again due to juvenile disturbances. Also in 2021, deputies responded to fights during the mall’s carnival event.
Randy Bowman, general manager of Orange Park Mall, emphasized the partnership with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office to enforce the new policy.
“When they arrive on site, they’ll just go through a security checkpoint, they’ll be asked to show their identification, their parent or guardian will be asked to show their identification, and if they’re with a parent or guardian, they’ll be given a wristband,” Bowman explained.
The policy also limits guardians to accompanying a maximum of four minors each. When asked about exceptions for those with more than four children, the mall said the situation would be handled on a case-by-case basis at the security checkpoints.