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Curfew set at Altamonte Springs park popular with 'Pokemon Go' players

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Thousands of “Pokémon Go” players have flocked to Altamonte Springs’ Cranes Roost Park to try to “catch ’em all,” but not everyone’s pleased about it.

Residents told Channel 9 they’re upset by the massive crowds and now the city is stepping in.

Even at night, the park sounds like a sporting event with all the clapping and cheering, but that will no longer be tolerated after midnight.

The city’s police department said it has received an excessive amount of noise complaints from residents who live near the park, which averages 3,000 weekly visitors.

Since the cellphone game launched, weekly park attendance has ballooned to 300,000 visitors.

“The problem is that they're coming back in the middle of the night,” City Manager Frank Martz said. “It’s a 24-hour game, but this isn't a 24-hour park."

So far three citizens have filed noise complaints between midnight and 3 a.m., Martz said.

That will all change Friday night.

“I think the challenge we all face is that the world is changing,” Martz said. “It is very technology-based and very mobile and we accommodate that. But when the park closes, it's time to go home."

The city said park rangers will shoo the gamers out at curfew.

Players will also no longer be allowed to charge their phones using park outlets.

“We're going to be turning the power off,” Martz said. “That's public power that we use for events, so that's inappropriate. And we're going to be handling that as well."

Gamers Channel 9 spoke to weren’t pleased to learn this.

“It's our power, I thought. Right? Because we're in the city,” Michael Smark said. “We're taxpayers, so…”

City officials said they’ve discovered damage to landscaping, a flagpole and freshly poured concrete.

“We're going to make sure that people are not vandalizing and not defacing things and respecting the public space,” Martz said. “And if we find someone who's not doing that, they're going to be in trouble.”

Officers said anyone found in the park after-hours could face trespassing charges.

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