MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Miami Beach broke up with spring break last year and city leaders still aren’t interested in couples counseling.
Officials recently announced they were bringing back enhanced security measures for practically the entire month of March, including parking restrictions and increased fees for nonresidents.
The new rules were introduced last year after three consecutive years of spring break violence. The city is again warning visitors to expect curfews, bag searches at the beach, early beach closures, DUI checkpoints and arrests for drug possession and violence.
“Last year’s spring break was a success on any level you measure it,” Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said. “We had zero fatalities, zero shootings, zero stampedes. The majority of our businesses did very well and actually thanked us for the measures we took.”
Women pose for a selfie on South Beach during spring break, March 15, 2024, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
Most spring break activity centers around a 10-block stretch of Ocean Drive known for its Art Deco hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. Before spring break last year, city officials launched a marketing campaign that said, “Miami Beach Is Breaking Up With Spring Break.” A video featured residents “breaking up” with spring breakers and warning them to expect restrictions if they decided to come anyway.
This year, officials followed up with a “Reality Check” video featuring a group of young people on a fictitious reality show having their spring break ruined by the city’s enhanced rules.
City of Miami Beach police officers are staged along Ocean Drive during spring break on South Beach, in Miami Beach, Fla., March 9, 2024. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP, File)
“We broke up a spring break,” Meiner said. “Some people ask, are you getting back together? No, we’re done.”
City leaders want visitors to come and enjoy the beaches, hotels and restaurants, as long as they behave, Meiner said, noting that overall hotel occupancy actually increased in 2024 over 2023.
“And that’s because when you walked around Ocean Drive and South Beach, you felt welcoming, you felt safe,” Meiner said.
Other Florida cities struggle with spring break crowds
Miami Beach isn’t the only Florida city bracing for spring breakers this year. Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Tampa are among the top 10 domestic spring break destinations, according to AAA booking data.
Following a particularly rowdy Presidents Day weekend in Daytona Beach, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood recently announced plans to crack down on bad behavior from spring breakers.
“They don’t bring any financial benefit,” Chitwood said. “All they do is bring chaos, and if they want to bring chaos, I am going to bring chaos in return.”
Businesses have mixed reactions
Some Miami Beach business owners see the restrictions as necessary to ensure public safety, while others are concerned that driving away spring breakers could irreparably damage Miami Beach’s status as an iconic tourist destination.
Louis Taic, owner of the Z Ocean Hotel, said he welcomes visitors to Miami Beach any time of the year, but he understands why city officials have taken to actions that they have.
Police on all-terrain vehicles patrol along Ocean Drive during spring break, March 15, 2024, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
“What we don’t like is people that take advantage of Miami Beach, that take advantage by doing things here that they would never do at home,” Taic said.
David Wallack, owner of Mango’s Tropical Cafe, said Miami Beach has thrived as an entertainment destination for nearly a century, even through Prohibition and the Great Depression.
Instead of trying to scare people away, city officials need to organize events such as concerts, art festivals and sporting events to attract people who will spend money, Wallack said.
“Miami Beach is magical, but you’ve got to still give customers what they want,” Wallack said.
Are restrictions linked to race?
Some civil rights advocates believe the restrictions are racially motivated.
South Beach became popular among Black tourists about two decades ago as promoters organized Urban Beach Week during the Memorial Day weekend. Many locals have complained about violence and other crime associated with the event, which led to an increased police presence. But the event’s continued popularity correlates to a bump in Black tourism throughout the year.
City of Miami Beach police officers respond to an incident during spring break, March 15, 2024, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
Stephen Hunter Johnson, an attorney and member of Miami-Dade’s Black Affairs Advisory Board, said city leaders are using a brief spike in violence as an excuse to discourage Black visitors.
Most of the problems experienced by Miami Beach in recent years began during the pandemic, when Florida remained open while other popular tourist destinations around the U.S. were locked down, and officials are unfairly crediting the new spring break restrictions with decreasing violence last year, Johnson said.
“Arrests were down, and no one was shot,” Johnson said. “Those things were going to occur anyway, because the farther we get away from COVID restrictions, the more normalized things are.”
Meiner has repeatedly rejected the notion that the restrictions are racially motivated. He always hates the idea of anyone getting injured, but as an elected official he feels an additional sense of responsibility when people are shot and killed in the city he serves, he said.
“We are going to keep people safe,” Meiner said. “Law and order is the number one priority in our city. There is no compromising on that.”
