Miami Beach, Florida – Miami Beach broke with spring holidays last year and city leaders are not yet interested in couples advice.
The authorities recently announced that they were bringing back the improved security measures for practically the entire month of March, including parking restrictions and the increase in rates for non -residents.
The new rules were introduced last year after three consecutive years of Spring Vacation Violence. The city is again Warning visitors Wait for touches, searches for beach bags, early beach closures, DUI control points and arrests for possession of drugs and violence.
“Last year’s spring holidays were a success at any level that measured it,” said Miami Beach Steven Meiner mayor. “We had zero deaths, zero shootings, zero prints. Most of our businesses did very well and we really thanked us for the measures we take. ”
Most spring holiday activities focus on a 10 block from Ocean Drive known for its Art Deco hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. Before the spring holidays last year, city officials launched a marketing campaign that said: “Miami Beach is breaking with spring vacation.” A video presented to the residents “breaking” with the spring switches and warning them to wait for restrictions if they decided to come anyway.
This year, officials continued with a “Verification of reality” Video with a group of young people in a fictional reality show that has its spring vacation ruined by the improved rules of the city.
“We broke a spring vacation,” said Meiner. “Some people ask: are they again together? No, we have finished. “
The city leaders want visitors to come and enjoy beaches, hotels and restaurants, provided they behave, Meiner said, and pointed out that the general occupation of the hotel actually increased by 2024 for 2023.
“And that is because when you walked through Ocean Drive and South Beach, you felt cozy, you felt safe,” Meiner said.
Miami Beach is not the only reinforcement in the city of Florida for Spring Breakers this year. Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Tampa are among the 10 main spring holiday destinations, according to AAA reserve data.
After a weekend of the day of particularly noisy presidents in Daytona Beach, the Sheriff of Volusia County, Mike Chitwood, recently announced plans to take energetic measures against the bad behavior of Spring Breakers.
“They don’t contribute any financial benefit,” Chitwood said. “All they do is bring chaos, and if they want to bring chaos, I will bring chaos in return.”
Some business owners of Miami Beach see restrictions as necessary to guarantee public safety, while others are concerned that away from spring switches could irreparably damage the state of Miami Beach as an iconic tourist destination.
Louis Taic, owner of the Z Oean Hotel, said he welcomes visitors to Miami Beach at any time of the year, but understands why city officials have taken the actions they have.
“What we do not like are the people who take advantage of Miami Beach, who take advantage of things here they would never do at home,” Taic said.
David Wallack, owner of Mango’s Tropical Cafe, said that Miami Beach has prospered as an entertainment destination for almost a century, even through prohibition and great depression.
Instead of trying to scare people, city officials need to organize events such as concerts, art festivals and sporting events to attract people who will spend money, Walack said.
“Miami Beach is magical, but you still have to give customers what they want,” Walack said.
Some civil rights defenders believe that restrictions are racially motivated.
South Beach became popular among black tourists approximately two decades ago, since the promoters organized the week of the Beach Urban during the weekend of the Memorial Day. Many locals have complained about violence and other crimes associated with the event, which led to a greater police presence. But the continuous popularity of the event correlates with an increase in black tourism throughout the year.
Stephen Hunter Johnson, a lawyer and member of the Miami-Dade Negros Affairs Advisory Board, said the city leaders are using a brief increase in violence as an excuse to discourage black visitors.
Most of the problems experienced by Miami Beach in recent years began during the pandemic, when Florida remained open, while other popular tourist destinations in the United States were locked up, and officials unfairly accredit the new spring vacation restrictions with a decrease in violence last year, Johnson said.
“The arrests decreased and did not shoot anyone,” said Johnson. “Those things were going to happen anyway, because the more we move away from Covid restrictions, the normalized things are.”
Meiner has repeatedly rejected the notion that restrictions are racially motivated. He always hates the idea that someone is injured, but as an elected official he feels an additional sense of responsibility when people are shot dead in the city he serves, he said.
“We are going to keep people safe,” said Meiner. “Law and order are the number one priority in our city. There is no commitment in that.”
