Miami Beach Bracing For Long Spring Break Weekend
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Another long spring break weekend begins Thursday and Miami Beach is on alert.
The unruly party crowds in the entertainment district have at times turned violent this month, prompting a crackdown by city officials.
"What we are experiencing this year is not your typical spring break," said Miami Beach Commissioner Steven Meiner, talking about what many are calling chaos on the South Beach.
To reign in the 'chaos', the city has enacted an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew from Thursday to Sunday. This curfew will happen weekly through April 12.
"Our officers are far outnumbered and really we don't have the resources to contain the amount of crowds and the kind of behavior we're seeing. We had over 100 illegal guns confiscated, drugs, it just really became a necessity at that point to do the curfew," said Commissioner Meiner.
There will also be 10 p.m. eastbound lane closures on the MacArthur and Venetian causeways that lead to the city. Only residents, people staying in hotels, and people who work in the city will be allowed in.
Some residents are now refusing to leave the city after dark for fear of getting stuck on the causeways when they try to return.
Many Miami Beach residents, like Manni Maharaj, are in support of the curfew and closures.
But Maharaj, who owns Diya Indian Kitchen, said it has changed how they operate.
"From the very basics, your dishwasher, that person depends on public transportation pretty much, so just for an example, I would have to actually drop some of these guys off 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. That's the cost of doing business and closing the causeway, so we can have law and order in the city," added Maharaj.
It's a cost Maharaj said he's is willing to take.
To balance the negative impacts on residents and business owners, the city's commission has extended delivery hours for restaurants forced to closed early for in person dining.