The South Florida island city of Miami Beach announced last week that the city government is rolling out new measures — including midnight curfews and 6 pm beach closures — this March to control wild spring break crowds and prevent outbreaks of violence that have disrupted the lives of spring break vacationers and locals in recent years.
“Fed up with unruly crowds, lawless behavior, and a string of violent acts in recent years, the City of Miami Beach is implementing tough new measures aimed at putting an end to spring break,” Miami Beach wrote in a press release Tuesday. The new rules include “bag checks, restricted beach access, DUI checkpoints, license plate readers, and heightened police enforcement.”
Miami Beach hopes to put an end to spring break in South Beach with new rules
– $100 parking rate during two busiest weekends in March
– $516 towing rate (double normal)
– Beach entrances closing @ 6 pm between 5-12 St
– Sidewalk cafes on Ocean Drive closing March 8-10; 15-17 pic.twitter.com/FeIoWbR8DM— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) February 10, 2024
Police will be looking out for alcohol consumption, drug use, and violent behavior this March after last year’s spring break festivities were overshadowed by two deadly shooting incidents and hundreds of arrests. The city is interested in avoiding a repeat of last year’s tragedies.
“The measures I proposed approved by our Commission will ensure that our residents, businesses, and visitors are safe and thrive during Spring Break,” said Mayor Steven Meiner. “Everyone is invited to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of our City. But we are a law and order City and we will enforce our laws all year round.”
“If you are looking to cause problems, do not come to Miami Beach,” Police Chief Wayne Jones added. “We are fully prepared to ensure our city is safe for everyone. Our message is simple: we want people to enjoy their time here, but will not tolerate the behavior we have witnessed in the past few years.”
Miami Beach spring break violence reveals the difficulty police face trying to protect visitors, locals, and businesses while also being public relations for the community, according to @sgtbetsysmith, spokesperson for the National Police Association. https://t.co/J3wcWm3cJp
— National Police Association (@NatPoliceAssoc) March 24, 2022
While the new city measures designate the entire month of March as a “high-impact period” for Miami Beach with additional rules in place for rowdy spring break visitors, the two weekends of Mar. 7-10 and Mar. 14-17 will see the most enforcement, and all Thursdays through Sundays in March have extra rules in place beyond the month-long high-impact measures.
The Miami Beach City Commission voted on the new policy at the end of January. “We’re shutting the door on spring break once and for all,” Commissioner Alex Fernandez said. “Lawlessness will not be tolerated in Miami Beach.”
