Miami Beach preparing for unruly Spring Break crowds
Last year's spring break in Miami Beach was "especially terrible," says Mayor Dan Gelber. This year, city officials and local businesses are hoping for safer experience.
Officials in Miami Beach, Florida, have declared a state of emergency and will impose a curfew following days of violence in the popular beachside town to deal with rowdy spring breakers after two shootings that injured five people over the weekend.
"Our city is well past its endpoint," Mayor Dan Gelber said during a Monday news conference. "What we're watching and what we're feeling and what we're observing is simply unacceptable at every level."
The curfew goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and will last until 6 a.m. on March 28. The same rules will apply for the following weekend.
The city will have a special commission meeting Tuesday to discuss the emergency order.
Miami Beach has long been a destination for spring breakers because of its popular and trendy South Beach area, pristine beaches and party atmosphere. In recent years, crowds have gotten bigger and harder to contain, posing challenges for local law enforcement.
To prepare, the city is recruiting police officers from across Florida following large riots that broke out last year.
"This isn't your father's or mother's spring break. This is something wholly different," Gelber said. "We don't ask for spring break. We don't promote it. We don't encourage it. We endure it."
The move comes after a round of violence in the city that prompted officials to act.
Early Monday, two women were hospitalized after a shooting around 1 a.m. on Ocean Drive. On Sunday morning, three people were injured during a shooting as well, NBC Miami reported.
In addition, over the past four weeks, authorities have seized 100 guns, the news outlet said. Four officers were also injured this weekend while dealing with unruly crowds, the Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police said.
