Curfew, breathalyzer tests and bag searches: Miami Beach wants to put an end to the “Spring Break”

Miami Beach is trying to break away student spring breakpopularly known as spring break, but it’s not yet clear whether Spring Break will get the hint.

After three consecutive years of spring break violence, Miami Beach officials are implementing month-long security measures to curb the chaos, including: parking restrictions for non-residents and the closing of the bar located on sidewalks on busy weekends.

The city warned visitors they may encounter one another curfewsearch for bags on the beach, early beach closures, alcohol checkpoints and arrests for drug possession and violence. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that 45 state law enforcement officers will be deployed to the city to reinforce policing.

But the entrepreneurs of the famous neighborhood of South Beach Now they fear losing money during one of the busiest times of the year, and civil rights advocates say the restrictions They are an overreaction. in front of the large crowd of blacks.

Many of the city’s restrictions are not new, but were instituted in previous years as emergency measures unofficial holiday, not as measures implemented in advance.

“The status quo and what we have seen over the last few years is simply not acceptable or tolerable,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner.

Meiner underlined this the crowd became unmanageable despite the massive police presence. He added that the city, which is located on an island opposite Miami, can accommodate only a limited number of people and that capacity has often exceeded what is safe for both visitors and residents during the holidays.

DeSantis said this at a press conference in Miami Beach Florida will crack down against anyone breaking the law during spring break.

“Florida is a very welcoming state. We welcome people to come and have fun. What we don’t welcome it is a criminal activity. “What we don’t welcome is chaos and people who want to devastate our communities,” she stressed.

Most activities during spring break focuses on a ten-block stretch of Ocean Drive Known for its art deco hotels, restaurants and nightclubs.

David Wallack, owner of Mango’s Tropical Café, said Miami Beach has always thrived on partying, and the crackdown on visitor access will transform the vibrant, eclectic city into a a retirement community.

“I think we need to create something big, another big event in March because March fell off the cliff“Wallac said.

Wallack and others propose a great music festival during the third week of spring break – when the unruly crowds and with nothing to do they tend to reach a climax, in the hope that the participants will disperse the aimlessly wandering crowd.

Meiner said the city has spent millions of dollars on concerts and other events in the past with little success in mitigating the violence. He added that businesses are hurt when violent mobs gathering along Ocean Drive force them to close, and that the people who are primarily causing the problems aren’t spending money in the city anyway.

“They don’t stay in hotels,” Meiner said. “They don’t go to our stores.”

Some civil rights advocates, however, believe this the restrictions are racially motivated.

South Beach became popular with black tourists about two decades ago, when promoters organized Urban Beach Week over Memorial Day weekend. Many local residents complain of violence and other crime associated with the event, which has led to an increased police presence. But the popularity of the event is related an increase in black tourism throughout the year.

Stephen Hunter Johnson, an attorney and member of Miami-Dade’s Black Affairs Advisory Board, said city officials are cracking down only because many of the visitors are black.

“Everyone loves the idea of ​​having the freedom of not having the government meddling in their lives,” Johnson said. “But surprisingly, if the government bothers black people, everyone thinks it’s good”.

Miami Beach’s mayor rejects the idea that the city’s measures have anything to do with race.

“I have a moral obligation to ensure the safety of people, and right now there is no safety,” Meiner said.

In the Florida Panhandle, Panama City Beach, the popular spring break destination, suffered a similar escalation in violent crimesbut police chief Eusebio Talamantez attributes it to people taking advantage of the environment, not college students on vacation.

Parties that end in a shootout

“When you think about spring break, you might think about vacation, college student vacation, maybe some fights and some games to see who can drink the most alcohol,” Talamantez said. “But which evolved into shootingsmass riots, rapes and murders.

Violence in Panama City Beach came to a head in 2015 when a shooting occurred at a house party left seven people injured.

Subsequently, the city has banned alcohol on the beach and has taken strong measures against unauthorized events, among other things. Local businesses sued the city that same year, claiming the new rules unfairly targeted events popular with black visitors, but the lawsuit was dismissed several months later.

Talamantez said the measures had some success, but a severe hurricane in late 2018 and COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 limited the city’s ability to handle crowds once pandemic restrictions were lifted, prompting a resurgence of violence.

However, a new round of crackdowns in 2023 led to a 44% reduction in crime, and the city is imposing similar rules this year. Talamantez said he doubts that anything Miami Beach does will be more stringent than Panama City Beach’s measures.

“We are simply trying to create a climate that says loud and clear, in bold letters, who we are a community of law and order” Talamantez explained. “And law and order doesn’t disappear just because you’re on spring break.”