Miami Beach may be breaking up with spring break, but spring break isn’t moving on just yet. City officials and business owners must choose between the billions of dollars generated, or crowds of violence and law breaking. Two shootings in 2023 put the city into a state of emergency and midnight curfew. Florida Governor Ron Desantis announced for the 2024 season 140 state toppers would be sent out across vacation hot spots, specifically 45 into Miami Beach. 

The city launched a breakup campaign of tough love, including hefty fines, curfews, bag checks, restricted beach access, DUI checkpoints, and 100 dollar parking fees and tow rates of 500 dollars. For David Wallack, the owner of Mango’s Tropical Cafe in South Beach, a breaking point in the long love-hate relationship came after a series of stampedes last March.

The chaos happened when the beachfront restaurant was packed with many trying to enjoy the well known nightspots. He says he remembers multiple raging stampede sparked by fights, screams, firecrackers and the most obvious gunshots. He recalls hundreds running in panic, sending tables, chairs and drinks flying. 

On Tuesday of last week, Desantis stood with Miami beach mayor announcing the deployment of troopers.

He stated, “Florida is a very welcoming state. We welcome people to come and have a good time. What we don’t welcome is criminal activity. What we don’t welcome is mayhem.”

He said that if your plan is too come and enjoy Florida then all should be well for you. But if you plan to commit crimes you will be held accountable. Troopers will assist local law enforcement and be on standby at Panama City, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami beach. More police than ever before. Chief of police Wayne Jones says the idea is to not ruin the fun it is to keep people safe. 

On March 17 last year violence broke out in South Beach leaving one dead and another injured. Later the same weekend Miami beach reported one person fatally shot and another injured.

In 2022, the City of Miami Beach similarly imposed a midnight curfew after two spring break shootings left five people injured on Ocean Drive. The busier second and third weeks of this month call for the action being taken.

Jones said the size of the long but slender barrier island played a role in controlling large crowds. The City of Miami Beach sits on a small barrier island between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Much of the spring break revelry happens along 10 sun-splashed blocks of art deco hotels, trendy restaurants and nightspots on Ocean Drive.

“The biggest issue for spring break is simple capacity. We are bursting at the seam,” Jones said. “In order to control that you have to mitigate the amount of people coming here during spring break. That’s why … we’re breaking up with spring break. We hope it’s an amicable separation. We want people to have a good time. We really don’t want them not to play by our rules.”