Spring break tourists took to the open and free state of Florida to spend their off time and get a taste of normalcy back into their lives. South Beach didn’t know what hit them.
With its miles of beaches and famed party scene, Miami Beach has long been a spring break destination. City officials have for years attempted to crack down adherent crowds and occasional conflict with law enforcement and fights amongst the crowd themselves.
With Covid restrictions and heavy lockdowns across the country, many busted into the open state of Florida to enjoy a warm spring break rolling in the sand. Miami Beach had open establishments with minimal Covid guidelines, such as mandatory face mask when not eating, drinking, or at your table, as well as keeping a safe 6 feet distance whenever possible. These guidelines were not adhered to by the incoming visitors from the north.
People enjoying their time on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. March 19, 2021
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The pandemic isn’t stopping the Spring Break partiers from packing Miami Beach and officials say the situation has gotten out of control. The city of Miami Beach declared a state of emergency on Saturday, March 20, over the crowds and an 8 p.m. curfew has been imposed in the South Beach entertainment district.
Chaotic scenes played out the first night police enforced a curfew in response to an “overwhelming” volume of spring break visitors. City officials had declared a state of emergency, pointing to several instances earlier that day in which crowds of partiers turned disruptive and violent.
During an emergency meeting on Sunday, March 21, city commissioners voted to extend emergency orders imposing an 8 p.m. curfew in the entertainment district and limiting access to causeways leading to the island city from Thursdays through Sundays. These measures are now set to continue until April 11, the end of the spring break period.
The city has been mostly calm during the day but uneasy and unpredictable in some areas at night, according to authorities. Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements said there had been several stampedes, the most alarming, he said, was when a man fired a gun into the air.
The mayor and other city officials insisted they were targeting conduct rather than specific groups of people. Police Chief Clements said officers used pepper balls the first night of the curfew in response to some in the crowd rushing toward them.
This year has seen more visitors and more disruptions than previous years, officials said, with interim city manager Raul Aguila describing it as “a spring break like no other.”
Spring breakers defiantly crowd around a man on a car after curfew.
“As we hit the peak of the peak of spring break, we are quite simply overwhelmed,” City Manager Raul Aguila said.
The goal, Aguila said, is that “we don’t want anybody on the streets after 8 p.m.”
The restrictions were imposed after weeks in which rowdy crowds have faced off with law enforcement officers amid fears that the area could become a hotspot for COVID-19 infections.
“This was not an easy decision to make,” Aguila said.
“But you saw the photos from last night. It was quite simply overwhelming. It looked like a rock concert: You couldn’t see pavement and you couldn’t see grass.”
The emergency order noted that many revelers have not been wearing masks or keeping distant from one another.
Civilians communicating with Miami Beach Police just before curfew.
Miami Beach leaders attributed the surge in visitors to coronavirus-related closures in other areas, coupled with cheap flights and demand for travel. Florida reopened before many other states and has fewer restrictions.
“I believe it’s a lot of pent-up demand from the pandemic and people wanting to get out,” city commissioner David Richardson said.
“And our state has been publicly advertised as being open, so that’s contributed to the issue,” he added.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has not really helped in the matter, previously bragging that Florida is an "oasis of freedom" during the pandemic. These types of statements can influence many to jump on those cheap plane tickets and head straight to the Sunshine State, and it has.
Miami Beach police stand patrol of the roads, with causeways blocked during curfew and squads of reinforcement lying in wait. With violence and crowding almost non-existent during the day, Miami Beach police still have a tough job on their hands as the night peaks closer each day and the chances of rowdy northern partiers taking to the streets still roams.
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