MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The City of Miami Beach has imposed a weekend curfew starting late Friday night and lasting until Monday morning, citing concerns over spring break crowds and a commitment to public safety.
The curfew, which will be implemented on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, will last from 11:59 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following morning.
“In consultation with our public safety leadership, we have determined that a midnight curfew is necessary and appropriate to assist in maintaining public safety on this spring break weekend,” said Miami Beach City Manager Alina Hudak.
7News cameras captured visitors who descended on the city’s entertainment district, Friday afternoon.
“I’m down here to have fun, party,” said a man.
“I kind of expected the worst,” said a woman.
Pezzy Jones and Marion Smith, who are visiting from Houston, said the curfew will not disrupt their plans.
“I’m still going to go out and do my thing, you know?” said Jones.
“I mean, nobody is really going to listen to it,” said Smith.
“I feel it’s pointless. Like, just let people have fun,” said another visitor.
After the sun went down, 7News cameras captured large crowds walking down Ocean Drive.
News of the curfew came as a surprise to visitor Dakota Whims.
“No, I didn’t know there was a curfew,” she said.
A spring breaker who identified himself as August pointed out the heavy police presence, hours before officers were scheduled to clear everyone out.
“As y’all see, the police is pretty much out on almost every single block, every street,” he said.
The curfew will be imposed within the area of 23rd Street and Dade Boulevard on the north, Government Cut on the south, Biscayne Bay on the west, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, requires businesses to close in advance to ensure compliance.
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said the curfew is a necessary step.
“As we started seeing the data we’ve looked at in the last several years of this weekend, the third weekend in March, the intel that we had, we made a determination for public safety,” he said.
Public safety officers will patrol the area to enforce the curfew.
Additionally, a Special Event Zone, effective from 8 p.m. on Friday until 7 a.m. on Monday, has been designated from 17th Street down to South Pointe Park, including Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue, Washington Avenue, and adjacent streets.
Within this zone, fines for noncriminal traffic infractions may be doubled, and vehicles can be impounded for violations.
Businesses will be allowed to continue operations from 11:59 p.m. to 6 a.m. for delivery services only.
All city residents requiring access to or from their homes, guests requiring access to or from their hotels, and employees of business establishments requiring access, including business deliveries, are permitted.
The sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption will be prohibited in the curfew area after 6 p.m. each day.
Visitors said this particular rule is noticeable.
“I don’t see the drunk people, so I don’t know,” said a visitor near Ocean Drive.
The decision to implement the curfew comes after recent years of chaos and violence.
The City Commission passed a resolution last year endorsing the curfew, aiming to mitigate disturbance and violence typically seen during Spring Break weekends.
“We did not make this decision lightly, but it should not come as a surprise,” said Hudak. “We have been very clear about our intent to protect the public from the dangerous mayhem that has accompanied Spring Break crowds in recent years.”
Businesses were previously warned to expect curfews during this period, but business owners who spoke to 7News on Friday said they’re taking a hit this month.
“Unfortunately, there could likely be many businesses closing,” said Mitch Novick, the owner of the Sherbrooke Hotel.
“No parking, parking $100. It’s crazy, even for local people, to go out to Miami Beach,” said Marco Perez, a manager at Eye Opticals.
“The employees, how are they gonna eat? How are they going to pay rent?” said Luis Contres, the owner of Cafe Bonjour.
Even the popular Mango’s Tropical Cafe on Ocean Drive is shutting its doors for the weekend.
Speaking with 7News on Friday night, Mango’s CEO David Wallack said safety is their top priority.
“There’s a lot of people, and it’s all pretty much pushed to the west sidewalk, and being that Mango’s has a very open front, last year I was in 16 stampedes,” he said. “The cash register is not the important thing; it’s the safety first.”
For more information on Miami Beach’s spring break safety measures, including the curfew, click here.
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