Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Party on ... responsibly
Police tell Spring Breakers to play by the rules
FORT LAUDERDALE – Spring Breakers may just want to have fun.
But they’ll need to play by the rules to avoid runins with the law, says Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione.
Tops on the list: No booze is allowed at the beach. Tables, tents and amplified speakers are also forbidden.
“We have a DUI task force and they are working Spring Break,” Maglione said Wednesday during a news conference called to get the word out about Fort Lauderdale and its laws. “We have an increased police presence [at the beach]. We have our mounted unit, our motorcycle officers and walking teams.”
That annual college ritual known as Spring Break got underway in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 29 and won’t end until April 5. That means way more traffic on A1A, way more people at the beach and way more cops on patrol.
As of Wednesday, just five days in, Fort Lauderdale police have made five arrests during Spring Break 2020, a department spokeswoman said. Agency officials did not give details on just what those five people did to wind up behind bars.
But they did offer up a list of no-nos that can land you in trouble:
If you’re under 21, don’t get caught with a fake ID or an alcoholic beverage.
Don’t refuse to leave a bar after a cop or bouncer has told you to leave.
Don’t expose your sex
“We don’t want to be out here making arrests. We just want everyone to have a good time and be safe.”
Rick Maglione, Fort Lauderdale police chief
organs, boys and girls. And if you’re a woman, don’t expose the TaTas.
Don’t cause what police refer to as a “public disturbance.
Don’t throw a punch or engage in violent, threatening behavior.
Don’t serve booze to anyone under 21.
Don’t get caught with drugs.
Police have provided beach hotels with a list of rules to hand out to guests as they check in, Maglione said.
“We don’t want to be out here making arrests,” he said. “We just want everyone to have a good time and be safe.”
With the increasing concern over the coronavirus, the chief passed along the same advice given by health experts: Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds several times a day. And if you are sick, stay home.
Strolling north on A1A Wednesday before noon, the unmistakable smell of pot wafted through the air. Café Ibiza blasted Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.” A nearby hot spot, the Drunken Taco, was wall to wall with bikini-clad Spring Breakers, cocktails in hand.
On a nearby corner, one woman argued with her friends: “There is no way Tyler would show him his fake ID. That would be stupid.”
Just a few feet away, a cop sat in his cruiser, keeping a close watch on the crowd.
Throngs of people walked past barricades installed on both sides of A1A to keep them from walking into traffic.
Ride-share drivers who drop off or pick up passengers along A1A risk getting ticketed by police, the chief said. Uber and Lyft drivers should head to Las Olas Oceanside Park at 3000 E. Las Olas Blvd. to pick up or drop off passengers.
“We’ve been issuing 30 to 50 traffic citations a day,” Maglione said.
Emma Burgan, 19, a sophomore at the University of Michigan staying at a hotel in Hallandale Beach, traveled by bus to get to the beach Wednesday.
She got here Saturday and heads back home on Thursday. She and her friends say Fort Lauderdale was just a natural choice to spend their Spring Break.
“We just thought there’d be a lot of college kids around — and it would be warm,” she said. “It’s like 40 back home.”
Jill Klatt, 20, was spending her last day at the beach before heading back to school at Grand Valley State University in Michigan.
Why come here for Spring Break?
“It’s where everyone goes,” she said.
As for coronavirus, that’s the last thing on her mind.
“I guess I should be, but I’m not worried about it,” she said.
Andrew Allison, 21, didn’t have to travel far at all to enjoy his Spring Break. He’s a sophomore at Broward College and lives in Fort Lauderdale.
“This is the place to come for Spring Break,” he said. “This is the melting pot of culture. You’re going to see people from France, Germany, Brazil, wherever.”
Down at the south end of the beach, far from the frenzied crowd, Canadian Colette Lepage lounged under a shade tree with friends.
She had no desire to mix and mingle with the Spring Break crowd. Here, she was far from the raucous rumble of the bars, but the public washroom was just steps away, she said with a laugh.
“When you get to a certain age, you prefer to have things like that nearby.”