The mayor of Miami Beach wants to cancel spring break after footage emerged of a man being shot to death on a sidewalk during another wild weekend of partying.
‘We have not requested spring break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our town. It’s too loud, it’s too messy, and it’s just too hard to police,” said Democratic Mayor Dan Gelber.
The chaotic weekend saw two men shot to death and partygoers jumping into a car, fighting in the streets and even vandalizing a slushie shop on Main Street despite the city instituting a curfew on Sunday. at night.
Footage showed the gruesome moment a man was shot execution-style on Ocean Drive early Sunday morning when two groups of revelers passed each other.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber wants to cancel spring break: ‘We haven’t called for spring break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our town. It’s too loud, it’s too messy and it’s just too hard to police,” he said after a violent weekend.
The chaotic weekend saw two men shot to death, including this gruesome moment when Dontavious Polk allegedly shot a man at point blank range on Ocean Drive early Sunday morning.
Dontavious Polk was arrested in the fatal shooting later Sunday and charged with first-degree murder and held overnight, according to an arrest report.
He was arrested after being chased and detained, and police reportedly recovered two weapons.
At least 70 guns have been seized in Miami Beach in the last three weeks.
Police said Polk was walking with three other men when he slowly approached the victim, removed a firearm from his waistband and shot him multiple times.
The victim immediately fell to the ground and later died after being rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Authorities immediately instituted a curfew that began at midnight Monday and lasted until 6 a.m. Monday morning. The same curfew is likely to go into effect Thursday night and last through the weekend.
Miami residents and business owners complained that this is the fourth year in a row that they have been fighting curfews and out-of-control riotous crowds.
“The Miami Beach brand has been damaged beyond recognition over the last decade,” Mitch Novick, a local hotel owner, told the hosts of Fox & Friends on Monday morning.
“As someone who has been in the hotel business for over 30 years, my guests, whom I have known for generations of their family, have told me over the last few years that they will not be coming back here anymore.
“They are going to look for alternative vacation destinations, but I am optimistic that things will change,” he said.
Mayor Gelber issued a statement in response to the violent weekend saying that the increase in crowds had left the police in the dark.
“The volume of people in our city, the rebellious nature of many and the presence of weapons has created a danger that cannot go unnoticed,” he said.
“It is clear that even an unprecedented police presence could not prevent these incidents from occurring.
“While most may come here to enjoy the amenities of Miami Beach, the overwhelming volume of visitors, some coming with ill intent in the presence of weapons, creates a totally intolerable situation.”
During an appearance Monday morning on America’s Newsroom, Gelber said his suburb is not equipped to handle “boisterous young partygoers looking for a rite of passage.”
“It doesn’t work for us,” he said. ‘We can’t balance public safety with business.’
Novick said it’s been the same old Gelber song and dance for the past several years.
Polk was arrested Sunday and held overnight on first-degree murder charges for allegedly shooting a victim at point-blank range on Ocean Drive.
Partygoers were not deterred by the first fatal shooting on Friday night and kept the party going Saturday night and into Sunday morning, when another fatal shooting occurred.
The bloody weekend prompted city officials to declare a curfew that began at midnight Monday and lasted until 6 a.m.
Crowds walk up and down Ocean Drive at night on Saturday, March 18, 2023 during spring break in Miami Beach
In previous years, the mayor has also instituted a curfew in addition to banning certain types of alcohol sales.
“He’s been saying the same thing since he’s been in office,” he said. “I believe him, but he’s been ineffective in making any changes, and a lot of it has to do with campaign donations.”
“His colleagues and himself have made so much money out of the nightlife industry which, again, is the reason why nothing has changed.
‘Why does the city continue to provide a street carnival circus with multiple stages with loud music?
“The city embraces this spring break atmosphere, and I’ve been going before the mayor and commission for about a decade now, telling them not to throw millions and millions of taxpayer dollars at the police, but to address the inconsistent open air and problematic. entertainment zoning along Ocean Drive that only a handful of businesses exploit with their own loud music and dance performances in the public right-of-way,’ he said.
Video footage from the weekend revelry shows members of rowdy crowds punching and jumping on cars trying to drive across Ocean Drive.
The police presences seemed overwhelmed by the large number of out of control partygoers, who seemed to be looking for a fight.
Separate footage showed scantily clad women and several men vandalizing a local slushie shop on the main street by the beach, as the lone shop clerk pleaded with them to stop.
Last year, Miami Beach banned some late-night alcohol sales on South Beach for three nights in a row as an emergency measure, in addition to instituting a curfew.
The ban applied to sales of alcohol for ‘off-premises consumption’ at businesses like liquor stores and pharmacies after 6 p.m.
