Miami Beach Spring Break Crowds Abide By Curfew, Ocean Drive Quiet
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - After a tumultuous couple of weeks that saw rowdy crowds and some violence, Miami Beach's Ocean Drive is quiet now and people who live in the area say they hope it stays that way heading into another spring break weekend.
A Thursday through Sunday, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., curfew in the entertainment district will be in effect for the next few weeks. So will 10 p.m. closures on the MacArthur and Venetian causeways during the same time period. Only residents, those staying in hotels, and people who work in the city will be allowed in.
Thursday night was quiet and Ocean Drive resident Elias Sanchez hopes it stays that way.
"Last night was very quiet, it was very nice," he said.
It was a very different picture compared to last week when large crowds of people, who flocked to South Beach for spring break, caused chaos. Miami Beach was forced to declare a state of emergency.
"What happens is about 25,000 people were showing up in this little area. When they all came to that one area, that might be fine until you realize some people are bringing guns, some people were there to brawl, some people were stampeding," said Mayor Dan Gelber.
Miami Beach police said in the last six weeks there have been more than a thousand arrests, more than 100 guns had been seized, and over eleven thousand traffic tickets had been written.
According to police, 52 percent of the people arrested traveled here from outside the state. More than 61 percent of the arrests happened in the entertainment district, which includes Ocean Drive and Washington Avenue.
"They are dangerous people. Over 100 guns have been picked up, many of them through our license plate readers, which means there was a warrant for the person who was stopped" said Gelber.
As we head into the weekend, Ocean Drive is quiet and police and residents alike hope it stays that way.
"It's very nice, very quiet, no loud music, no fights, no nothing," said Sanchez.
Broward County and Fort Lauderdale mayors said they are watching the situation in Miami Beach closely. Both said they haven't had any problems and there are no plans for a curfew in the county.
