Spring break parties in Miami Beach caused mayhem and violence, but the fun continued an hour up the coast in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Bikini-clad co-eds flocked to coastal vacation hotspots in the Sunshine State, where they spent hours on sunny beaches, soaked in the nightlife, and took a week off from school.
Spring break parties in Miami Beach caused mayhem and violence. (Photo: Sun Sentinel)
“There were no major incidents related to the 2023 Spring Break season,” Fort Lauderdale police said in an emailed statement, excluding two “notable” arrests for a random assault on a disabled man and a fight with a security staff member at a bar.
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It was a stark contrast to the chaos in Miami Beach, where two people were killed, a third was injured, and several others were injured in stampedes after gunshots rang out twice over the weekend, and unruly crowds were seen going wild and jumping on occupied cars, prompting the city to declare a state of emergency in the middle of Spring break.
According to the city’s state of emergency declaration, at least 322 arrests were made between February 27 and March 19, including 165 for violent felonies and drug-related crimes, and 70 guns were seized.
This represents a 27% increase in felony arrests over the same period last year and a 200% increase in homicides.
On Sunday, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said that many visitors brought guns and “created a peril that cannot go unchecked.”
A midnight curfew for Miami’s South Beach went into effect on March 19 and will last until March 27, along with additional safety measures and a strict crackdown on alcohol, according to the city manager, who announced the changes on Thursday.
Law enforcement officers from various jurisdictions have been working up to 14-hour shifts six days a week, all throughout Spring break. During the first weekend of spring break in Fort Lauderdale, there was a heavy police presence on the beaches.
Drug-sniffing dogs and their handlers roamed the sand while cops patrolled the beaches on four-wheelers. Outside the nightclubs and bars, there was a noticeable police presence.
Alcohol regulations were strictly enforced, and alcoholic beverages were confiscated.
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