Miami Breaks Up With Spring Break
Hundreds upon hundreds of spring breakers flock to Miami Beach every year. Photo from Mike McBey via Flickr
The city of Miami Beach, a popular destination for spring break, has enacted restrictions to deter unruly visitors this year.
Spring break is a toxic situationship, and this year, Miami Beach, Florida, has finally decided to break it off.
Miami has been synonymous with spring break, and Ocean Drive is a notorious spot for restaurants and nightlife. However, for the third year in a row, the city had to implement emergency protocols to placate unruly crowds.
On March 1, the Florida city released a new ad campaign detailing new restrictions being put into place to curb the number of disorderly tourists. The video depicts an assortment of locals "breaking up" with spring breakers.
It criticizes visitors who "want to get drunk in public and ignore laws," rather than experience the city's culture. It also shows footage of the previous spring break — scenes of police attempting to mitigate large crowds, with sirens heard in the background — referring to the chaos as "our breaking point.”
On its official website, the city of Miami Beach says visitors can expect month-long security measures, including “curfews, security checkpoints at beach access points, early beach entrance closures, DUI details, bumper-to-bumper traffic, increased parking rates, road closures and arrests for drug possession and violence.”
The initiative comes a year after Miami Beach declared a state of emergency after two fatal shootings over spring break in 2023. Following the incident, then-Mayor Dan Gelber released a statement: “The volume of people in our city, the unruly nature of too many and the presence of guns has created a peril that cannot go unchecked.”
The year prior, authorities made over 1,000 arrests and confiscated dozens of firearms during a rowdy spring break, forcing Miami Beach officials to take action against the annual festivities.
It’s not just locals who feel it is time to move on. Some Marist College students agree that Miami could use a break from spring break, including Calvin Stone ‘25.
“I think that Miami is just trying to change their figure,” said Stone. “They used to always just be sort of be a ‘college place,’ and now they are trying to pivot [away] from that… it will be beneficial for them.”
Lexi Rossi ‘24, who visited the neighboring city of Fort Lauderdale over break, acknowledges that “it is important in college to have that fun spring break, and I certainly enjoy that environment.” At the same time, she also recognizes the fine line between having fun and causing destruction.
“Seeing how crazy it gets, I understand the urge to want to [place restrictions].”
Although many agree that safety is an issue for the city, the restrictions face some backlash as business owners worry about how they may be affected. Members of the Ocean Drive Association were concerned about the financial consequences and certain elements of the safety plan, such as the removal of public seating along busy roads lined with bars, restaurants and hotels.
As an alternative, some owners are looking to "distract" spring breakers with alternative entertainment, such as a massive music festival featuring big-name stars. This is not a new idea; however, the city has already spent millions of dollars on concerts and other events that had little effect on curbing the unlawful activity.