MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach is trying to break spring break, but it’s not yet clear whether spring breakers will take the hint.
After three consecutive years of spring break violence, Miami Beach officials are implementing a month-long security measure to curb the chaos, including parking restrictions for non-residents and closing sidewalk cafes on busy weekends. The city has warned visitors to expect curfews, beach bag searches, early beach closures, DUI checkpoints and arrests for drug possession and violence.
But business owners in the city’s world-famous South Beach neighborhood are now worried they will lose money during one of the busiest times of the year, and civil rights advocates say the restrictions are an overreaction to the large black crowds.
Many of the city’s restrictions are not new, but in recent years they were put in place as emergency measures during the unofficial holiday – rather than measures put in place in advance.
“The status quo and what we have seen in recent years is simply not acceptable and not tolerable,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner.
Meiner said the crowds have grown out of control despite the strong police presence. He said the city, which sits on a barrier island across the Bay from Miami, can only house a limited number of people, and capacity during the break often exceeds what is safe for both visitors and residents.
Most spring break activities take place around a ten-block stretch of Ocean Drive, known for its art deco hotels, restaurants and nightclubs.
David Wallack, owner of Mango’s Tropical Cafe, said Miami Beach has always thrived on partying, and the stifling access for visitors will turn the vibrant, eclectic city into a retirement community.
“I believe we need to create something big, another big event in March, because March has fallen off the edge of the cliff,” Wallack said.
Wallack and others have proposed a major music festival during the third week of spring break — when aimless and unruly crowds tend to reach their peak — in the hope that attendees will disperse the loitering crowds.
Meiner said the city has spent millions of dollars on concerts and other events in the past, but it has had little effect in easing the violence. He said businesses suffer when violent mobs that gather along Ocean Drive force them to close, adding that the people causing the problems in the first place aren’t spending money in the city anyway.
“They don’t stay in the hotels,” Meiner said. “They don’t visit our companies.”
However, some civil rights advocates believe the restrictions are racially motivated.
South Beach became popular among black tourists about two decades ago when promoters organized Urban Beach Week over Memorial Day weekend. Many locals have complained about violence and other crimes related to the event, leading to an increased police presence. But the event’s continued popularity is linked to a rise 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 only cracking down so hard because many of the visitors are black.
“Everyone likes the idea of being free from government encroachment,” Johnson said. “But amazingly, everyone is okay with the government invading black people.”
Miami Beach’s mayor rejects the idea that the city’s actions have anything to do with race.
“I have a moral obligation to protect people, and right now that’s not safe,” Meiner said.
The Florida Panhandle, the longtime vacation spot of Panama City Beach, has seen a similar escalation in violent crime, but Police Chief Eusebio Talamantez attributes that to people abusing the environment, not actual students on spring break.
“When you think of spring break, you might think of vacation, a collegiate break, maybe some fistfights and some beer stands,” Talamantez said. “It has evolved into shootings, mass riots, rape and murder.”
Violence in Panama City Beach peaked in 2015 when a shooting at a house party injured seven people. The city subsequently banned alcohol on the beach and, among other things, cracked down on unauthorized events. Local businesses sued the city later that year, claiming the new rules unfairly targeted events popular with black attendees, but the lawsuit was dropped several months later.
Talamantez said the measures were somewhat successful, but a massive hurricane in late 2018 and COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 disrupted the city’s ability to control crowds once pandemic restrictions were lifted, leading to a resurgence in violence.
However, a renewed crackdown in 2023 led to a 44% reduction in crime, and the city is imposing similar rules this year. Talamentez said he doubts anything Miami Beach does will be stricter than the enforcement actions in Panama City Beach.
“We’re just trying to create an environment that says loud and clear in big, bold letters that we are a public policy community,” Talamantez said. “And public order doesn’t disappear just because you’re on spring break. .”