After city withdraws security, Virginia Beach carnival employees stuck with nowhere to go

Yahoo

29-05-2025

Virginia Beach's Summer Carnival, which has been held annually for more than 30 years, was abruptly cancelled this year three days into the festivities due to 'unanticipated city staffing gaps,' the city manager said.
The city signed a service agreement with National Event Management on May 14 to run the carnival, according to records provided by Virginia Beach. Just over a week later, ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb went to the carnival site near Mount Trashmore to inform the organizers they would be pulling their deputies from the event by Sunday, according to Joel Cadwell, owner of National Events Management.
Come Sunday, the organizers received an email from a city representative ordering them to cease all operations, Cadwell said. Since the sheriff first delivered word to the organizers, they've had private security firms survey the site. They submitted a plan on Tuesday put together by a private security company in an effort to rectify the situation.
Cadwell confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the proposal was denied.
'We will start tearing down tomorrow,' he said in a text message.
City Manager Patrick Duhaney said in an emailed statement that 'an event of this size and scope requires public law enforcement officers with the authority to enforce laws, whereas private security alone has limited powers.'
The event required increased security due to a fatal shooting that occurred during the event last year, according to a spokesperson for Virginia Beach police. The new security plan included 14 off-duty sheriff's deputies for interior event security and six off-duty police officers working the parking lot and surrounding areas, who would be paid by the event organizers.
The sheriff's office was unable to provide the additional deputies. It's unclear how great of an increase this amount was over previous years' security, but Cadwell estimated it was six to eight more deputies.
'Our primary public safety responsibilities come first before private security functions, which are always staffed on an as-available basis,' a sheriff's office spokesperson said in an email. 'We were not comfortable forcing our deputies to work a third-party vendor event.'
Duhaney said he made the decision to cancel the carnival after consulting with the sheriff's office and police due to 'unanticipated city staff gaps.' He said he shares the public's disappointment with the cancellation but encouraged the public to attend other city events that are listed on the VB Go app.
'Each permitted event in our city has a robust security plan that undergoes a thorough review process and takes into consideration past years' experience, growing attendance and/or footprint, and safety needs in order to prepare, prevent and respond to needs for this year,' Duhaney said.
The cancellation leaves about 150 staff members 'in limbo,' will cause a large amount of food to go to waste and force the company to go without revenue until their next event in about three weeks, Cadwell said. The next event venue is booked up in the meantime so they can't move their equipment, Cadwell said.
'We have nowhere to go until then … so I guess we'll hang around,' he said, adding that staff have an off-site location with living quarters and even a school with a certified teacher for their children.
Cadwell partnered on the carnival with Florida-based Deggeller Attractions, who has run the Virginia State Fair for about 60 years. He said it's unlikely the event will return after the way things have unfolded this year.
'Would you come back if this happened to your company?' Cadwell said.
Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, [e-mail]