Miami Beach Spring Break data show dip in arrests from last year
When Miami Beach officials announced that the city was “breaking up with Spring Break” in a viral video earlier this month, young people around the country heard the message. But not everyone heeded it.
Thousands of Spring Breakers still descended on South Beach last weekend, prompting the city to declare a midnight curfew in hopes of preventing the type of chaos and shootings that have soured the festivities in recent years.
But the crowds were markedly smaller and calmer than in 2023, when throngs of visitors packed Ocean Drive and there were two deadly shootings.
This year, an unprecedented law enforcement presence — approximately 600 officers from 18 local, state and federal agencies — is policing the area and overseeing the city’s drastic Spring Break measures, including 6 p.m. beach entrance closures, license-plate readers and a DUI checkpoint. Enforcement was beefed up over the past two weekends, when officials were expecting the largest spring break crowds.
Citywide data show arrest numbers have still been substantial but are down from last year. From March 1 to March 17, Miami Beach police made 274 arrests, according to a report from the department.
That’s an 8% reduction from the same time period last year and includes a 26% decrease in felony arrests, from 133 to 99. Misdemeanor arrests are up from 164 to 175. The numbers include all arrests in Miami Beach, not just those related to spring break.
“I am very pleased with the progress of the Spring Break deployment so far,” Police Chief Wayne Jones said in a statement.
There haven’t been any shootings, a measure Mayor Steven Meiner has said would be the marker of a successful month of March.
“We were risking ruining our reputation by having these acts of violence, which we’ve prevented this year,” Meiner told Fox News on Monday. “This is a win-win for everyone, and this is actually a huge success for us.”
Two weekends to go
Spring Break isn’t quite over yet. City officials are still expecting visitors during the final two weekends of March, during which measures like $30 parking, double towing fees, 6 p.m. beach entrance closures and restricted vehicle access to residential neighborhoods will be in effect.
So far, 68% of arrests in the city this month have been of MiamiDade County residents . About 22% of arrests have been of non-Florida residents, according to Miami Beach police. Those numbers are similar to last year’s data during the same time period.
Alex Fernandez, a city commissioner since 2021, said it was “disheartening” that a majority of the arrests have been of locals. But overall, he said, the data suggest the city’s approach is working.
“The decrease in overall arrests and the substantial reduction in felonies stand as irrefutable evidence of the resounding success of our proactive measures and the undertaking of the [Miami Beach Police Department],” Fernandez said.
Fernandez has sought to defend the city against accusations that its policing approach toward Spring Breakers in Miami Beach, many of whom are Black, is racially biased. In response to a Miami Herald columnist, Fernandez penned an op-ed saying the city’s approach “has nothing to do with the color of one’s skin.”
Police data show that 53% of arrests in Miami Beach from March 1 to March 17 have been of Black people, down 4% from the same period last year.
“The numbers unequivocally validate our city’s unwavering commitment to responsibly policing dangerous and illegal behavior, irrespective of race,” Fernandez said Tuesday.
Marijuana enforcement
The city’s spring break approach has included strict enforcement of marijuana laws.
A Herald review of jail booking data and court records showed Miami Beach police have charged at least 23 people in March with possession of small amounts of marijuana and charged at least eight people with smoking marijuana on public property. Among those 31 people arrested, 24 are Black, according to court records.
Last month, the Miami Beach City Commission voted to remove a civil citation option for possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana. Fernandez, who proposed the change, said he wanted to send a message on the eve of spring break that the city was shifting away from its party-town reputation.
“Law enforcement experts have repeatedly warned us that lenient laws on drug possession and marijuana smoking creates a welcoming environment for armed dealers and compromises community safety,” Fernandez said Tuesday.
Other commissioners opposed the move last month, including Tanya Katzoff Bhatt, who said Black and brown people are disproportionately arrested for marijuana possession and that the move could contribute to Miami Beach’s reputation for being unwelcoming to minorities.
Ripple effect of restrictions
Beyond the 274 people arrested this month, many others have been swept up in the city’s Spring Break enforcement plan.
A license-plate reader detail on the eastbound Julia Tuttle and MacArthur causeways, which has caused significant traffic delays entering Miami Beach, resulted in more than 1,100 traffic citations this past weekend, according to police data. A DUI checkpoint on Fifth Street led to one DUI arrest and more than 100 traffic citations on Friday and Saturday.
Booking data show police also made at least four arrests for violations of the midnight curfew during the three days that it was in effect this month.
Amid the draconian measures in Miami Beach, some young people have decided to go elsewhere. After the curfew in South Beach took effect this past weekend, people flocked to the city of Miami, where promoters were advertising parties.
Fort Lauderdale, also a popular Spring Break destination, is “experiencing larger crowds than in years past” and has seen “isolated incidents, such as disturbances and fights,” police spokesperson Casey Liening said Monday.