Miami Beach wants a break from spring breakers – a permanent one.
The sun-kissed city has long been a mecca for college-age spring break travelers, with the first recorded spring breaks kicking off in the 1930’s, with visitors descending on Miami Beach to celebrate everything from hard-earned vacation to the Easter holidays.
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In 2023, however, city officials have had enough after two people died of gunshot wounds last weekend on popular Ocean Drive. Now, the city is trying to close out spring-breakers for good.
“We haven’t asked for spring break in our city,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber in a March 19 Facebook post. “We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, brings too much disorder and is simply too difficult to police.”
Effective March 19, Miami Beach declared a state of emergency, complete with a mandatory curfew, citing “multiple fights, shootings and various other violent incidents.”
The city also noted that local police have confiscated over 70 firearms between February 27 to March 19 with City Manager Alina Hudak citing a “clear and present danger” on Miami Beach streets.
Miami Beach Is Closing Down
The emergency curfew essentially closes Miami Beach down from 11:59 PM to 6:00 AM on a temporary basis with city officials meeting early this week to examine further shutdown measures.
The expectation is that the city will declare a following emergency from Thursdays-to-Monday’s going forward, with only essential businesses open. Only visitors with a confirmed hotel reservation will be allowed traverse city streets, and only then to check into their hotel.
It’s not just 2023, either. Miami Beach officials declared a similar curfew in 2022, following a series of violent incidents in the city.
“We can’t endure this anymore. We just simply can’t,” Gelber noted. “This isn’t your father or your mother’s spring break. This is something wholly different.”
