Miami officials are ramping up restrictions in advance of the wave of debauchery brought on by the annual influx of spring breakers. Each year, rowdy tourists come to Miami Beach to party hard for the holiday, and recent spring break celebrations have descended into violence. A newly launched video campaign entitled “Spring Breakup” aims to address the issue and keep tourists in line.
The campaign aims to curtail drunken, disorderly and often violent behavior—spring break 2023 saw two shootings in South Beach and a total of 573 arrests; five people were injured in two separate shootings in 2022. The official website declares “We’re breaking up with spring break,” and the PSA includes a series of breakup-speak statements like “This isn’t working anymore,” “We just want different things” and “It’s not us, it’s you.” Actors in the PSA reveal what young spring breakers should want instead of booze-soaked revelry: spa days, great restaurants and relaxing on the beach.
The “breakup” will entail a hefty list of restrictions and enforcements, including “curfews, security searches and bag checks at beach access points, early beach entrance closures, DUI checkpoints, bumper-to-bumper traffic, road closures and arrests for drug possession and violence,” as stated boldly on the website. The city’s Entertainment District will enforce a flat rate parking fee of $30 for parking garages and surface lots, and the towing rate in South Beach will double to $516 plus an additional $30 administrative fee for nonresidents. Beach access on Ocean Drive will close at 6pm. and visitors will encounter security checkpoints and bag checks for any prohibited items.
The rules get stricter from March 7 to 10 and 14 to 17, the weekends with the highest expected crowds. Parking garages in South Beach will be closed from Thursday at 6am to Monday at 6am, and the flat-rate parking fee will increase to $100. DUI checkpoints will be enforced.
The list of restrictions goes on and on, so if you’re planning on heading to Miami Beach for spring break, check out the website here.