MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber is speaking out after a weekend of brawls and arrests in the entertainment district as spring breakers visit the area.
On Monday morning, Gelber held his State of the City Address and also discussed COVID-19 concerns as tourists are seen not following guidelines.
He spoke with 7News about Spring Break 2021 and the more than 100 arrests that have come with it. According to police, 42 of the arrests were felonies, and they have seized 13 firearms.
“We want to be hospitable. We like being a hospitality place, but it’s just very difficult when you see these images. That’s not who we are,” he said. “We still have this virus going on. We still have to be careful. We have seven and a half miles of beautiful beaches. We have hotels that have been very safe. We have tremendous amounts of outdoor dining, but we are not looking for an anything-goes crowd.”
Gelber said there needs to be some major changes to the entertainment district.
“It’s dangerous for police. It’s dangerous for arrestees. It’s dangerous for bystanders. It’s just become too chaotic,” he said. “It’s not like that all the time, but it’s like that enough where I don’t think we can endure it, really, any longer.”
He’s responding to scenes like the viral videos posted on Only In Dade, where people could be seen in fights along Ocean Drive.
Some fights even caused damage to local businesses, spilling into the Breakwater Hotel and Caffe Milano.
The unrest comes a day after a Miami Beach Police officer was captured on cellphone video body-slamming 19-year-old James Harrison near Eighth Street and Ocean Drive following, what officials described as, a stampede.
“That man was inside that crowd inciting the rest of the crowd,” said Miami Beach Police spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez.
Investigators said Harrison became aggressive toward police and resisted arrest by grabbing an officer’s vest, and that’s what led to the tough takedown.
“The subject turned on my officers,” Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements said. “He ended up striking one of my officers and engaging him. It is evident by the number of arrests we made just this week, it’s a challenge for us to be able to stay on top of it.”
Harrison was arrested and has bonded out.
“We can tone it down,” said Gelber. “It’s not Deco district, it’s a cultural district. It has museums, there used to be gallery walks there. That’s what we really should be looking for.”
Some spring breakers relocated their South Florida stay up north to Fort Lauderdale for the weekend.
“We came here to stay in South Beach, but it was just too much, so we went to Fort Lauderdale for two days, and we just came back,” a tourist said. “It’s too much. I’m never coming back for spring break again.”
There were two arrests in Fort Lauderdale Beach throughout the weekend.
Meanwhile, some tourists said they feel perfectly safe in Miami Beach.
“At night time, I feel pretty safe,” Imiyah Mann said. “I’ve seen like some cops around, and they’re patrolling the streets to make sure nothing happens.”
Gelber also said he reached out to other mayors across South Florida for help assisting the Miami Beach Police Department and has received it from Miami-Dade Police, City of Miami Police and Coral Gables Police.
Some people said Miami-Dade County’s curfew, which runs from midnight to 6 a.m., is helping out during spring break.
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