JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Organizers of the third annual HBCU Beach Day are responding to a warning from Jacksonville Beach officials, who have denied the event a permit and issued cease-and-desist letters.

The event, scheduled for April 12, is expected to draw hundreds of college students to Jacksonville Beach.

“It’s historical for the Black community,” organizer Tyree Jackson said. “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.”

City officials said the permit application was denied because it was submitted less than 90 days in advance, violating city regulations.

“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,” Tonya Tator with the Jacksonville Beach Police Department said. 

Jackson and another organizer Jarrod Gunn added they submitted the application in March and believed they had received initial approval.

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

Jackson and Gunn say they received cease-and-desist letters on Wednesday, March 28, warning of potential consequences if the event proceeds without a permit.

Organizers say it is now too late to cancel. Many students have already booked accommodations and made travel arrangements.

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

Organizers say they want to work with city officials to find a solution.

Jackson said he offered to pay officers to be at the event to ensure safety, but that was declined.

They also want to dispel any connection to negative incidents that occurred during other events, such as St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

“We actually want to do it the right and the legit way,” Jackson said.

The event is expected to bring in students all across Florida not just Jacksonville.

First Coast News has submitted a public records request to the city to obtain all correspondence related to the event.