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Tallahassee Police Broke Up Party Of Nearly 1,000 People, Police Say

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Adam Barnes General Assignment Reporter
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Tallahassee police say they broke up a party hosting over 1,000 people near Florida State University over the weekend.

The department said in a statement on Facebook that it responded to over a dozen calls regarding large crowds, including one with nearly 700 vehicles and more than 1,000 people, CNN reported. Most of the parties were broken up without incident, police added.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in mid-September that he would look into a “Bill of Rights” for college kids to party. (RELATED: Gov. Ron DeSantis Says He Is Exploring Possible Student ‘Bill Of Rights’ For Partying)

“We’re looking at perhaps if there’s something we can do at the state level to provide some type of bill of rights for students,” DeSantis said. “I understand the universities, they are trying to do the right thing, but I personally think it’s incredibly draconian that a student would get potentially expelled for going to a party. That’s what college kids do.”

DeSantis also lifted COVID-19-related restaurant restrictions in mid-September in an effort to open the Florida economy. (RELATED: Gov. Ron DeSantis Moves Florida Into Phase 3, Restaurants Can Open At Full Capacity)

“We’re also saying in the state of Florida, everybody has an opportunity and the right to work,” DeSantis said, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

“Every business has the right to operate. If some of the locals, they can do reasonable regulation, but you can’t just say ‘no’ after six months and just have people twisting in the wind,” he added.

Florida State University President John Thrasher sent a letter to students Sept. 18 warning them against attending parties and urging them to practice safe social distancing, according to the CNN report.

“The choices you make don’t just impact you,” Thrasher said in the September 18 letter. “They affect your friends, families, professors, FSU staff and the Tallahassee community at large, as well as our ability to hold in-person classes and future events and provide campus services.”

There have been 701,302 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 14,037 deaths in Florida as of Sept. 28, according to the Florida Department of Health.