Spring break mayhem forces Miami Beach to extend state of emergency
Businesses already struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic now concerned about earlier curfews and more shutdowns. Owner of Cheeseburger Baby Stephanie Vitori with reaction.
Miami Beach is under a state of emergency as it enters another weekend of a spring break that has already seen its share of incidents.
Effective through Monday, the city is under an extended state of emergency with traffic other restrictions. The city warned that any violation of the restrictions, which include suspending sidewalk cafe operations and closing down Ocean Drive, "shall subject the individual, operator, business entity, or organization to arrest and criminal prosecution."
"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," Miami Beach Commissioner Steven Meiner said, according to CBS Miami.
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"We had over 100 illegal guns confiscated, drugs, it just really became a necessity at that point to do the curfew," Meiner said.
Most of those arrested have not been college students on spring break, but adults from Florida and out of state, authorities have said.
Two North Carolina men on spring break in Florida have been charged with drugging and raping a woman who later died, possibly of a drug overdose in Miami Beach.
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The city announced Saturday that Interim City Manager Raul J. Aguila had declared a state of emergency in response to the crowds. The declaration was extended on Tuesday. A curfew is in place for 8 p.m. through 6 a.m. for certain areas.
According to the Miami Herald, crowds were seen wandering around on Ocean Drive despite the curfew.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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