Spring break: Party over in Miami Beach; curfew imposed in South Beach district

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The party is over for spring break revelers in South Beach.

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A crush of spring break crowds has led officials in Miami Beach to impose an 8 p.m. curfew in the Florida city’s South Beach entertainment district, the Miami Herald reported.

City officials said eastbound traffic entering Miami Beach would be blocked beginning at 9 p.m., the newspaper reported.

Interim City Manager Raul Aguila told the Herald that he recommends keeping the curfew sanctions in place through April 12. A midnight curfew is already in effect in Miami-Dade County due to COVID-19.

“These crowds are in the thousands,” Aguila told the newspaper. “We’re at capacity.”

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber agreed that large crowds in South Beach have become a safety hazard.

“Too many people are coming into our city and too many people are coming here with bad intentions,” Gelber told WPLG. “At night, there is no question that it became a little out of control, or a lot of control.”

The emergency measures come after weeks of violent incidents, including fights, stampedes, confrontations with police and a deadly shooting, WSVN reported.

“We have to act before one of those incidents happens. We cannot act in the wake of something,” Gelber said at a news conference Saturday. “And that is why, preemptively, we are taking action today.

“Our city in this area has become a tinder. And we can’t have a policy of simply hoping it’s not lit.”

The changes will be in effect for 72 hours, WSVN reported. City leaders then will assess future changes, the television station reported.

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