Ocean Drive has new rules. Here are all the things you can’t do during spring break
Sidewalk seating at the cafes and bars along South Beach’s Ocean Drive is taken for granted by residents and tourists. It’s a part of South Florida’s lifestyle like the Miami Heat and the daily heat.
But that popular habit of fancy dining, drinking and noshing under the sun or night lights on Ocean Drive is not to be for this weekend and next weekend.
As a part of South Beach’s “break-up” with spring break, city officials have instituted special rules, including parking restrictions and fees and fines, and altered traffic patterns by implementing lane closures, DUI checkpoints and license-plate readers on major causeways leading to Miami Beach. Ocean Drive is not immune to the temporary changes.
OCEAN DRIVE RESTRICTIONS
Here’s what you need to know regarding temporary Ocean Drive rules during the height of spring break.
No sidewalk seating on Ocean Drive on this weekend and March 15-17.
Traffic entrances: Ocean Drive will only be accessible to cars via 13th Street with a sole exit at Fifth Street through Sunday as well as March 14-17 and March 21-24. Barricades will line both sides of Ocean Drive to keep pedestrians and motorized vehicles out of each other’s path.
Beach entrances: Access to Ocean Drive will be limited to Fifth, 10th and 12th streets and close at 6 p.m., according to the city’s break-up plan.
Security checkpoints: Beach entrances on Ocean Drive will have security checkpoints to ensure prohibited items — including coolers, inflatable devices, tents, tables — don’t enter the beach. Amplified music without a cityissued permit will also be restricted. If you’re cranking up your music on Ocean Drive, do it on your personal earbuds.
Alcohol and cigarettes: Drinking alcohol on the beach is always prohibited — not just during spring break. Liquor stores in the South Beach entertainment district are required to close at 8 p.m. Smoking on the beach also is prohibited.