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MIAMI BEACH: Crowds of revelers flocking to Miami Beach in Florida for Spring Break have grown so uncontrollable that authorities declared a state of emergency on Saturday (March 20) and imposed a curfew intended to void the party.
The move marks the second year in a row that fun has been curtailed at the popular spring break destination, this past March because the pandemic was on the rise and this year because of unruly and destructive crowds.
Authorities announced Saturday that visitors must be off the street and restaurants will close their doors at 8 p.m. in South Beach, the epicenter of the city’s nightlife, following increased violence and vandalism in the last days.
“It sucks,” said John Perez, a Texas student who has a few beers with a group of friends on the sand, despite police efforts to prevent alcohol consumption on the beach.
In addition to the curfew, the three bridges that connect the island of Miami Beach to the mainland of Miami will now be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Only hotel residents, workers and guests will have access.
“It’s been a lot of fun here, you know, like we have warm weather, you have the beach,” said Perez, 22.
People dance on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach on March 17, 2021 AFP / CHANDAN KHANNA
An aerial photo released by police Saturday night showed the city’s main avenue, Ocean Drive, was empty just two hours after the curfew went into effect.
Miami Beach is no stranger to wild spring break crowds, but this year, with about 13 percent of U.S. residents vaccinated, the mood is particularly festive and the illusion that the pandemic is now low. control is ubiquitous.
“Just go get vaccinated so you can come here and have a good time like us because we got vaccinated baby,” Jalen Rob, another student from Texas, told AFP.
Another man, with his face painted like the Joker, stood on top of a car yelling “COVID’s over, honey!” while waving an American flag, in a video posted on Twitter by filmmaker Billy Corben.
READ: Biden Says US Target of 100 Million Vaccines Will Be Hit This Week.
“LIKE A ROCK CONCERT”
Acting city administrator Raúl Aguila said the city’s curfew measures were “all about public safety.”
He described the large crowds that had gathered on Ocean Drive as “like a rock concert. You couldn’t see the pavement and you couldn’t see the grass.”
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said in announcing the curfew on Saturday that “the volume is clearly higher than in previous years.”
“I think it is partly due to the fact that there are very few places open in other parts of the country, or it is too cold, or it is not open and it is too cold,” he said.
Viral videos have emerged in recent days showing restaurant fights causing serious damage as well as prompting diners to flee without paying expensive bills, according to local press reports.
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Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements said he is concerned the situation will become unmanageable.
Thursday night “we had a problem where hundreds of people ran at one point. Tables and chairs were thrown over and used as weapons,” he said.
He added that the police had hoped it would be a one-time event, but “last night we had three of those situations and we had a young woman who was injured as a result of trying to flee from a crowd.”
One of the city’s most iconic landmarks, The Clevelander South Beach, announced Friday that it was closing its restaurants and bars and just keeping the hotel running.
“We can’t continue to be lucky. We have to do some things that are going to mitigate those circumstances,” Clements said.
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