Spring break in Miami Beach, Florida, meant chaos for years.
Law and order reign supreme in the Sunshine State.
And Miami Beach’s Mayor made one surprising confession about spring break and Ron DeSantis.
Miami Beach safe and calm during spring break 2024
Miami Beach, Florida, had become notorious for its spring break, which was marred with shootings, disorderly conduct, and arrests in recent years.
The city instituted a number of measures this year, including a curfew, raising parking fees, and restricting beach access to discourage rowdy spring breakers.
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner told Fox News Live that this year’s spring break was a massive success.
“[For] a number of years, we’ve had shootings in our street, and we’re a safe city, and these measures were necessary to keep everyone safe,” Meiner said. “A lot of businesses are happy that we put in these measures. It’s a handful of businesses that are impacted [by the curfew], but many businesses are saying they’re actually making more money this year than in past years.”
Meiner said that residents and businesses in the city were overwhelmingly happy with the midnight curfew instituted for Spring Break.
“This is the calmest spring break we’ve had in years,” Meiner continued. “A number of restaurants that make their business, like traditional restaurants, are actually telling me thank you, that these measures have helped them, [that] it’s kept things safer, calmer and that they’re actually busier.”
DeSantis helps Miami Beach maintain law and order
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent 45 members of the Florida Highway Patrol to Miami Beach to help the city keep the peace during spring break.
He deployed 140 highway patrol officers to various spring break hotspots around the state, including Panama City Beach and Daytona Beach, to help keep things under control.
The Florida governor warned rowdy spring breakers that they would be arrested if they stepped out of line.
Meiner thanked DeSantis for the backup he provided for his city.
“We took the most robust measures we’ve ever taken by a longshot. Between our Miami Beach Police, the county, [our] sister cities, the governor, and Florida Highway Patrol, they really came through. They gave us 45 officers last weekend and this weekend, it’s really helped. You can see the difference on the street, it’s calmer,” Meiner remarked.
The mayor said that the security measures the city took prevented the violence that marred earlier spring breaks, which made this year a success.
Miami resident Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent, said the spring break was a “180” compared to last year.
“If you’re in law enforcement and your local officials do not allow you to enforce the laws and your hands are tied, then you can expect crime, you can expect violence, you can expect problems,” Parker said. “This new mayor and other members that have been elected, they back the blue, and they have a zero-tolerance policy. Everyone has stepped up to the line and I can tell you it’s beautiful, we love having guests in Miami Beach.”
Florida is developing a well-earned reputation as a law-and-order state under Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
