MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A curfew is coming to Miami Beach to help curb some of the spring break chaos. However, more rules could be coming.
“Everybody knows why we’re here,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber.
Commissioners held a meeting at city hall on Tuesday to discuss what happened on Ocean Drive over the weekend during spring break.
More violence, multiple people shot, innocent random victims, more arrests, officers injured and guns seized are some of the reasons why Miami Beach is in a state of emergency and why city leaders are calling for a curfew.
“A curfew this weekend, starting on Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, into Monday,” said Miami Beach City Manager Alina Hudak.
It is another year of bad spring break news in the city. This year, specifically, on Sunday and Monday mornings.
“We’re so lucky that it wasn’t a more significant loss of life,” said Miami Beach Police Chief Richard M. Clements.
The curfew might not be the only spring break change coming.
“If this commission would like to close liquor stores earlier, I fully support that. I don’t know that I have the power to do that,” said Hudak.
“I certainly would support that,” said Clements.
Hudak was given the power to potentially restrict booze sales on the beach within the entertainment district.
“She will decide on liquor stores where she wants to deploy that authority, if she wants to,” said Gelber.
That possibility was still up in the air and being weighed legally at the end of the meeting.
“This is not who we want to be. This is not what we want,” Gelber said.
The curfew will be in effect Thursday morning at midnight and will continue through Monday morning at 6 a.m. It will be in effect from 23rd Street down to South Pointe Drive and from the ocean to the bay.
The executive order calling for those rules was yet to be signed during the meeting.
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