Hordes of students have washed up on the Fort Lauderdale beach as spring break in Florida is in full swing.
Officials in some parts of the state have said they are preparing for the first full-scale spring break season since 2019, and that they expect the numbers to be even higher than usual.
An increased police presence was also noted along the beach in Fort Lauderdale. Officers on bikes, buggies and SUVs were seen patrolling the area, others were seen driving K-9s through beachgoers on the crowded beach.
The buildup to the peak season comes as US officials, including the State Department, warned Americans against traveling to Mexico after a spate of violent crimes. Last month, four Americans were kidnapped in Matamoros, Mexico, and two were killed.
Nonetheless, some spring breakers still poured into Cancun, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, where the US has told travelers to “use extra caution.”
Spring break in Ft Lauderdale is in full swing and the city is expected to have its first full-scale spring break since 2019.
Authorities in parts of Florida have said they are preparing for a large influx of visitors next month, while Texas has warned students not to visit Mexico.
An intensified police presence was also noted along the beach. Officers on marked bikes, buggies and SUVs were seen patrolling the area.
Tampa International Airport officials have said that during the spring break season, which runs into next month, they expect many visitors.
Usually, the airport receives around 50,000 visitors per day, but for the next month it is expected to increase to 100,000.
“We’re looking for more than 5 percent more seats in our market in spring break 2023 than we saw in 2019, which was our last full spring break period,” said Adam Bouchard, the airport’s vice president of operations. from Tampa. fox13.
“We hope to set new records this spring break,” he added.
The change will mean more flights to Mexico, about 550 a day, and bigger planes.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador rejected warnings from US officials on Monday, claiming they were part of an “anti-Mexico” movement orchestrated by some US politicians.
‘Mexico is safer than the United States. There is no problem with traveling safely through Mexico,’ Obrador told reporters.
He added that the “anti-Mexico” rhetoric was the work of “conservative politicians in the United States who do not want the transformation of our country to continue.”
The president also suggested that the US media was also to blame for the alleged conspiracy.
“These conservative politicians dominate most of the media in the United States,” he said. “This violence is not a reality,” she added. It is pure and vile manipulation.
Police in Ft. Lauderdale were seen driving K-9s across the crowded beach.
These are the current travel advisories for Mexico from the United States government. Only two states, Yucatán and Campeche, are completely free of notices.
The buildup to the peak season comes as US officials, including the State Department, warned Americans against traveling to Mexico after a spate of violent crimes. in feet Lauderdale police may be patrolling the beaches
A group of women lie face down on the beach in Ft Lauderdale on March 14 as the spring break season begins.
Ft Lauderdale Beach is a popular spring break destination on the Atlantic coast of Florida
Spring breakers congregate at parties hosted on Ft Lauderdale Beach on March 13
The travel advisories and controversy surrounding travel in Mexico come as the dangers Americans face in Mexico receive increased attention. Notably, earlier this month, a group of four was kidnapped by a drug cartel in a saga that left two of the victims dead.
“Drug cartel violence and other criminal activity pose a significant threat to the safety of anyone crossing into Mexico at this time,” Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said in a statement issued on Friday.
‘We have a duty to inform the public about security, travel risks and threats. Based on the volatile nature of cartel activity and the violence we are seeing there, we urge people to avoid traveling to Mexico at this time.”
Latavia McGee, Shaeed Woodward, Eric James and Zindell Brown were kidnapped on March 3 after driving from South Carolina to Mexico to undergo cosmetic procedures.
Footage showed them being thrown into the back of a pickup truck in broad daylight in the northeastern Mexican city of Matamoros.
After a massive manhunt and national news coverage, the group was found on March 7 in a shed about six miles from where they were taken.
Ft Lauderdale motorcycle police were seen up and down the beach on March 14.
A group of men hold their drinks above the water as they paddle out to sea on the beach in Ft Lauderdale
A spring breaker poses against a tree while her friends snap photos.
Spring breakers strewn across the Ft Lauderdale beach on March 13
When she was rescued, McGee was seen barefoot and covered in dirt, her trauma evident on her face. She survived her ordeal with Williams, who was shot in the left leg, according to Mexican officials. The others did not survive. Brown and Woodard were dead when they were found.
Mexican authorities said they believe the incident could have been a case of ‘mistaken identity’ and could be connected to the notorious ‘Gulf Cartel’ which is prominent in the region.
Robert Almonte, former US Marshal for the Western District of Texas and retired Deputy Chief of the El Paso Police Department, told DailyMail.com last week that Americans should consider boycotting all travel to Mexico because their government is not interested in stopping the violence.
“The bottom line is that when someone makes the decision to go to Mexico for whatever reason, you are basically risking your life. It’s just a dangerous place to be,” she said.
‘I tell people not to go to Mexico. I am advocating for a boycott of Mexico. I’m telling people not to go to Mexico. Don’t go to the resorts. Let’s send a message to the Mexican government that they need to control this situation.
‘Right now they don’t care because it’s business as usual. It seems that we don’t care, we are ignoring the situation.