Miami Beach club owners claim the Spring Break curfew has cost them thousands of dollars due to the loss of crowds.
Those same crowds are now heading north to Fort Lauderdale, where videos and photos show a massive, and mostly safe, party scene. People have filled the city’s beaches and bars as officials welcome them after Miami Beach’s curfew.
“We want to say thank you for shutting down Miami so we could get to this lovely place over here,” Jy’meria Franklin shared WPLG.
While Fort Lauderdale welcomed the party, the scene has been different in Miami Beach. The crowds were noticeably lighter in front of the neon lights and the fancy hotels. Officials told the spring breakers they wanted to ‘break up’ after last year’s fatal chaos.
This “split” has led to a loss of business for Miami Beach club owners. Michael Witt, an operator for M2, said 7 News the club faced ‘up to half a million dollars’ in losses.
Miami Beach club owners claim Spring Break curfews have cost them thousands of dollars in lost crowds — with one saying he’s lost $500,000
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge David Miller ruled the curfew was ‘reasonable’ after an emergency hearing Saturday afternoon
Ramain Zago, the owner of Mynt Lounge, said he was stunned by the city’s decision on the curfew — which came after a string of violence and shootings last year.
‘There was no chaos, there was no shooting, there was nothing – so why was there a curfew?’ he said.
Sultan Restaurant owner Dogan Tepecik said the curfew also hurt his bottom line.
“I can’t pay the bill and lose big business,” she told WPLG.
Local bar owners had challenged Miami Beach’s ordinance to impose a curfew. But a judge ruled it was ‘reasonable’
The city’s weekend curfew is intended to limit the amount of crowds. It was implemented on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and lasted from 23.59 to 06:00 the following morning and it expires tomorrow.
Anyone violating the curfew will be fined or jailed.
In addition, the city designated a ‘Special Event Zone’ from 17th Street to South Pointe Park, effective from Friday evening to Monday morning.
Within this area, fines for non-criminal traffic violations can be doubled and vehicles can be impounded for violations.
Last year, the former Miami Beach mayor said he wanted to cancel Spring Break after fatal chaos broke out on more than one occasion. Then a midnight curfew went into effect after two fatal shootings
The city’s weekend curfew is intended to limit the amount of crowds. It was implemented on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and lasted from 23.59 to 06:00 the following morning and it expires tomorrow
Last year, the former Miami Beach mayor said he wanted to cancel Spring Break after fatal chaos broke out on more than one occasion. Then a midnight curfew went into effect after two fatal shootings.
This year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he and his statewide staff are ‘ready to help our communities maintain order.’
He has ordered 140 state troopers out to various hot spots and added that he is willing to send additional backup if needed.
“We do not welcome chaos,” he said.
Miami Beach’s decision just made the party move north, where spring breakers declared the city ‘the new Miami’. In recent days, thousands flocked to Florida’s beaches – where many drank and some fought in front of police before passing out.
Attendees have flocked to Fort Lauderdale after curfews were imposed in Miami Beach to limit crowd sizes
In recent days, thousands flocked to Florida’s beaches – where many drank and some fought in front of police before passing out
Videos show Fort Lauderdale’s streets and beaches teeming with tourists
Unlike Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale ’embraces’ tourists, Mayor Dean Trantalis said
Mostly, videos and photos showed young people enjoying their spring break in Fort Lauderdale
Officials said they made ten arrests between March 4 and March 12 in spring-break-related incidents. The offenses ranged from drug-related offenses to disorderly conduct and battery on an officer
Officials said they made ten arrests between March 4 and March 12 in spring-break-related incidents. The offenses ranged from drug-related offenses to disorderly conduct and battery on an officer.
But mostly videos and photos showed young people enjoying their spring break in Fort Lauderdale.
“They broke up with us, so we had to slide down to Fort Lauderdale,” Kephene Wash, visiting from Tampa, told WPLG.
Unlike Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale ’embraces’ tourists, Mayor Dean Trantalis said USA TODAY.
“We understand that spring break often brings young people who want to have a good time,” he explained.
“As long as, you know, they maintain a behavior that, you know, doesn’t destroy property … we feel that spring break is a welcome opportunity for Fort Lauderdale to host.”
“They broke up with us, so we had to slide down to Fort Lauderdale,” said Kephene Wash, visiting from Tampa. Pictured: Spring breakers having fun in Fort Lauderdale
People on a Fort Lauderdale beach take pictures while enjoying spring break
Spring breakers enjoy themselves in Fort Lauderdale after Miami Beach imposes a curfew
Many Fort Lauderdale bars offered 2-for-1 deals to lure students into the booming institutions in time for St. Patrick’s Day, while others frolicked to their own inventions on the beach – with one group consuming what they described as ‘leprechaun juice’ in Irish celebration.
Bikini-clad revelers donned bright green bikinis as they soaked up the sunshine and posed for selfies with sparkly hats and shamrock headbands before squealing as they dived into the crystal blue waters.
University of Buffalo student Kaiya Washington, 22, told DailyMail.com that she headed to Fort Lauderdale because of the chaos and fatalities that had plagued Miami in previous years.
“We’ve come for a week, last year we heard a lot about shootings in Miami and it’s generally unsafe, so we came here,” she said.
“We’re so glad we did, especially since the curfew and police are so strict in Miami — and we haven’t really heard of any shootings or much trouble here.”