Orange Crush trademark holder gets head start on permit app, but gets denied for now
Although the permit was denied by city staff at the end of May, the action does not mean that the event won't be permitted by next April.
Orange Crush had existed as a unpermitted event on Tybee Island since the early-nineties, when Savannah State University cut ties with the Spring Break event after a dozen arrests, a stabbing and a drowning. The gathering, marketed to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on the east coast, was kept alive through word of mouth.
Earlier this year, Tybee Island City Council approved a permit after Orange Crush Florida CEO and organizer Steven Smalls who worked with Turner secured the permit. Originally proposed in December 2024 as a three-day event, Smalls and Turner eventually negotiated with city staff to secure a permit for a one-day event with a single stage and agreed to meet several other conditions set by council.
Though the event this year went smoothly, tension seemed to be brewing between Turner and Smalls. Turner stopped attending meetings with staff leading up the event and wasn't present the day of. Small, the permit holder who attended the event, said he felt Orange Crush was a success and hoped to do it the same way, although more thoughtfully, in 2026.
In the days following Orange Crush 2025, Turner began demanding $50,000 per year for a licensing agreement for the use of the Orange Crush name or $350,000 to purchase and transfer the trademark in emails sent to media. Turner also said he sent a cease-and-desist letter to Smalls and that Smalls would no longer be an organizer for the Orange Crush Festival unless they reached an agreement by May 1.
On April 27, Turner submitted to the City of Tybee Island a special event permit application for a three-day event, April 17-19, 2026, on the beach just north of the pier.
In his permit application, Turner proposed an event with the 'same exact layout as Orange Crush 2025, but three days instead of only one day.' He then sent more than 20 emails modifying plans for the event in the application, estimated City Manager Bret Bell.
A few days later on May 5, Smalls submitted a separate special event permit application for an event called 'Crush Reloaded,' which was proposed for April 18-19, 2026, at the same location on the beach.
On May 23, Bell informed Turner by letter that his application had been denied in accordance with city ordinances as outlined below:
The feasibility of the event layout 'exactly' as Orange Crush 2025 cannot be determined at this time due to ongoing significant erosion of the beach and the possible further impact from the upcoming hurricane season.
Tybee is not able to permit a three-day event, because the need for multiple days of law enforcement and emergency personnel is not feasible for reasons of resource availability.
Turner had issued news releases and made other statements to the press indicating that the city manager and mayor had given 'verbal approval' for a three-day music festival in 2026. No verbal or written approval had been given for the event, and it is against the ordinance to promote any special event without a permit.
Turner followed up asking for an appeal of the denied permit, indicating that he was willing to modify the duration and event layout, if needed, and had not intended to misrepresent any approvals. He also requested 'reasonable accommodations' in the application process given that he is '100% permanently and totally disabled veteran' and the trademark holder.
Day of recap: 'This is just college students having a good time;' Orange Crush one-day crowd about 7,000
By the numbers: Fewer people attended Orange Crush, and police made fewer arrests
'The city would be in a better position to assess beach conditions following the most active part of the hurricane season,' Bell said in the memo. 'The City would then receive presentations from each applicant, and make a decision at that time, which could then be appealed.'
Since both applications appeared to be incomplete and competing, Bell proposed that both Turner and Smalls withdraw their appeal requests in a letter sent to them on May 29, and spend time pulling together a final application for submission on Oct. 3.
Smalls withdrew his permit, but Turner declined to withdraw his appeal, before eventually relenting.
Bell said in an interview that they don't know what the condition of the beach will be like in April — last hurricane season took a chunk off the beach after back-to-back named storms in September. Tybee Island is slated for another beach renourishment, to dump about 1.5 million cubic yards of sand on the beach, but that project would not begin until the end of 2026.
Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for the Savannah Morning News, covering the municipalities, and community and cultural programs. You can reach her at DAmbus@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Tybee Island denies Orange Crush permit applications — for now
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