Miami Beach Declares State of Emergency Over ‘Unruly’ Spring Break Crowds

Crowds gather at Ocean Drive and 8th during spring break, in Miami Beach, Fla., on March 18, 2023. (D.A. Varela/Miami Herald via AP)

The city of Miami Beach declared a state of emergency on March 19 following two deadly shootings and reports of unruly spring break crowds.

The city has implementing an 11:59 p.m. curfew, according to an order (pdf) published online.

Shootings on March 17 and early on March 19, and “excessively large and unruly crowds,” were cited as reasons for the order, officials said. The city commission will meet this week to discuss other potential restrictions.

In a video message released on March 19, Democrat Mayor Dan Gelber said that “as I’ve said many times, we don’t ask for spring break in our city.”

“We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, brings too much disorder, and it’s simply too difficult to police.”

“While most may come here to enjoy the amenities of Miami Beach ...  a few that come with bad intentions in the presence of guns creates a wholly intolerable situation,” Gelber said.

Miami Beach police told local media outlets that officers responded at about 10:40 p.m. to the March 17 shooting. One of the victims died at a hospital and the other was in critical condition, the department wrote on Twitter.

One man was fatally shot, while another was wounded in the March 19 incident, police said.

“Both shootings were between visitors to Miami Beach and did not involve residents,” Gelber said in the video. “In both cases, police were literally seconds away from the incidents and arrests were made within minutes. That said, it is clear that even an unprecedented police presence could not prevent these incidents from occurring.”

Miami Beach, located across Biscayne Bay from Miami, has been a popular spring break destination for college students for decades. With the March 19’s declaration, it’s the third year in a row that spring break-related emergencies have been declared over unruly crowds and violence.

Under the curfew, people must leave businesses before midnight, although hotels can operate later only in service to their guests. Restaurants can stay open only for delivery and the curfew won’t apply to residents, people going to and from work, emergency services, and hotel guests, the statement reads. Some roads will be closed off and arriving hotel guests may have to show proof of their reservations.

The city’s order said the curfew won’t apply to people traveling to  from work or residents of the city who are going to their homes.

Last year, the city imposed a midnight curfew following two shootings, also on Ocean Drive. The year before that, there were about 1,000 arrests and dozens of guns confiscated during a rowdy spring break that led city officials to take steps aimed at calming the situation.

“While our daytime programming has helped with crowd control and daytime incidents and arrests are down from last year, the volume of people in our city, the unruly nature of too many and the presence of guns, has created a peril that cannot go unchecked,” Gerber said.

And while Gerber has repeatedly stressed that his city doesn’t want spring break visitors, Miami Beach’s website notes that it “attracts millions of visitors to its world-famous shores each year” and has “the finest dining experiences anywhere, including two of the newest Michelin-starred restaurants.”

When the city implemented a curfew last year, Gelber said at the time, “This isn’t your father’s, your mother’s spring break.”

“This is something totally different. We don’t ask for spring break, we don’t promote it, we don’t encourage it, we just endure it, and frankly it’s something we don’t want to endure.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.