The Future Of Spring Break

Spring Break Madness

For more than three years as your Commissioner, I have been focused on law and order including improving police visibility and transforming our City's Municipal Prosecution success rate to hold criminal offenders accountable. This weekend's Spring Break shootings on Ocean Drive leaving two dead sicken me. Different year, same result. That is why just several hours after the early Sunday morning fatal shooting, I said “Enough is enough,” and officially requested a Special Commission meeting to take immediate action, including a South Beach curfew.

Enough is Enough

We took immediate action and implemented a South Beach Sunday night midnight curfew. At our Special Commission meeting yesterday I supported and voted for a similar curfew for next weekend, identical to what we implemented last year. Unfortunately, yesterday our Commission voted down a midnight South Beach curfew for this coming weekend. I am disappointed in this result. Any criminal activity on Miami Beach should never be tolerated and is unacceptable.

Secured Perimeters

This past Sunday I officially proposed a legislative initiative to create secured perimeters with metal detectors and Police K-9's on Ocean Drive and potentially surrounding areas to ensure firearms and drugs are excluded from next year’s Spring Break. I previously addressed this concept with our Police Department after last year’s Spring Break fatalities, introduced this initiative during yesterday's Special Commission meeting, and will propose Commission action implementing a plan during our Monday, March 27 Commission meeting. Ultra Music Festival has successfully created a secured perimeter on public property for years. So can we.

The work begins now to put an end to our annual Spring Break fiasco, including taking illegal firearms off our streets. I fully expect that with the implementation of my legislative initiative of a secured perimeter with metal detectors, we will not be having this conversation again. We need to end the Spring Break violence and focus on the many important issues that our residents rightfully expect us to address, such as our nightmare traffic conditions. We need action. We need a sense of urgency!

Steve

Posted on 21 Mar 2023, 01:59 - Category: 2023