MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Beach hotspot has also become a hotspot for trouble, and concerned city officials and residents said steps must be taken to make the problem area safe.
Speaking with 7News on the corner of Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue on Thursday, City Commissioner Joe Magazine said enough is enough.
“Is this what we’re proud of?” he said. “I wouldn’t have my daughter walk through here.”
The city official was referring to the recent spate of mayhem seen on the infamous intersection.
“Every night, every day, several times a day, there’s an altercation,” said Seth Lowery, a South Beach-based DJ.
This is not the kind of nightlife people enjoy. Whether it’s a wild skateboard versus liquor bottle battle, or a store clerk stabbing an accused thief with a box cutter, people who live and lead in Miami Beach said this all needs to change.
“This isn’t OK. None of this is OK,” said Magazine.
Back in March, 7News reported on a weapon-wielding man inside the Surf Style at 421 Lincoln Road.
“He took the stick and started, like, going after people. I was kind of scared,” said store manager Uzi Benoliel.
In September of 2023, 7News broke the story of an ugly beatdown, when employees from the same Surf Style were beaten by teen shoplifters at the same corner.
“Why are we such a hot button, a magnet for these scumbags out here looking to prey on people?” said Magazine.
The concerned commissioner said he wants to see this spot reinvented, with more neighborhood-friendly businesses and fewer spots for loitering and troublemaking.
Wednesday night, Miami Beach Police officers shut the streets down to address the spat between a clerk and an accused shoplifter spat at the 7-Eleven at 350 Lincoln Road.
“I take the videos, because there’s a lot that doesn’t get seen by people that aren’t out on the streets as much as I am,” said Lowery.
Lowery is no stranger to bizarre hooliganism, and sometimes he does mire than document the danger.
Surveillance video captured the DJ taking down a customer who went berserk at the CVS pharmacy at 20th Street and Collins Avenue on June 13.
The perpetrator, later identified as Hubert Diaz, was seen throwing items, threatening customers and even performing a sexy dance outside the drugstore.
Back on Lincoln and Washington, Magazine has a few ideas about ways to halt the pandemonium.
“It starts with the public safety,” he said. “This doesn’t belong to Miami Beach — souvenir shop after souvenir shop and cellphone shop — so it’s really fixing this entire ecosystem.”
The arrested 7-Eleven clerk and accused shoplifter were both issued stay away orders from each other.
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