Pointing to more than 1,000 arrests at one of the nation’s most important party venues, Miami Beach officials warned Sunday that the rebel crowd of spring break crowds, fighting on the street, destroying restaurant properties and refusing to Wearing masks has become a serious threat to public safety.
The commissioners met practically on Sunday and extended for another week the declaration of emergency aired Saturday in response to the undisciplined South Beach crowd, CBS Miami reported.
City officials opened up the possibility of extending it until April if necessary, and stressed that this is not the typical crowded spring break. They said they are not college students, but adults who want to drop into one of the few fully open states during the pandemic.
They also voted Sunday to extend the night closure of three roads coming into the city to keep traffic in, CBS Miami says. Residents are exempt from road stops.
Police officers from at least four other agencies, along with SWAT teams, were added to help contain the crowds, but it was not enough. After holidays, including several clashes with police, Miami Beach officials enacted a very unorthodox curfew Saturday from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m., forcing restaurants to stop sitting outdoors. completely during the three-day emergency period and encouraging local businesses to close voluntarily.
More than half of the more than 1,000 arrests were from outside the state, said municipal manager Raul Aguila, who added that many go so far as to “engage in illegality and any attitude of the party.” He also noted that the crowds did not eat at restaurants or sponsor companies that generated much-needed tourist dollars, but only gathered by the thousands on the street.
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Officers in bulletproof vests dispersed the pepper spray balls Saturday night in a defiant but mostly nonviolent crowd, who refused to submit to the curfew that had only been enacted four hours earlier. Some people responded by jumping on top of cars, making turns and throwing money into the air.
A military-style vehicle was seen rolling across the ocean embroidered with palm trees as Miami Beach police officers outnumbered Saturdays as they struggled to disperse the crowds. Tourists were urged to stay inside their hotels and pedestrians or vehicles were unable to enter the restricted area after 8 p.m.
Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements initially worried Monday when people looked older than normal on what is usually a quieter day. A group of vehicles blocked the street, “and basically held an impromptu street party,” he said. On Thursday, as the crowd grew, fights began, causing dangerous stampedes from people fleeing for safety.
“We couldn’t go any further,” Clements said during Sunday’s meeting, defending the city’s curfew. “I think that was the right decision,”
On Friday night, police said the party was out of control. A restaurant was “upside down” in melee, “chairs were used as weapons” and broken glass covered the floor.
Next door, Clevelander South Beach’s iconic bar announced it was temporarily suspending all food and drink operations until at least March 24 after crowds crowded Ocean Drive and erupted in street fights.
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After firing shots, a young woman had her leg severed so severely in a stampede that she was taken to hospital where they initially thought she had been shot, police said.
“How many things will we allow to happen before we intervene,” Clements said.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said he has trouble sleeping at night, worried about out-of-control parties.
“When hundreds of people run through the streets in panic, you realize that this cannot be controlled by a police force,” he said during a commission meeting Sunday.
Local officials have struggled to enforce COVID ordinances. Florida has no state mask rules, capacity limits or other such restrictions, courtesy of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pro-business stance.
“I think there are very few places open as our state has been open,” Gelber said.
A commissioner asked if a toll could be charged to non-residents to deter visitors. Several said it was time for a new marketing campaign to help rebrand South Beach as a holiday town, pointing to the small handful of arrests in nearby Fort Lauderdale during the spring break.
Local officials and businesses have struggled to balance the courts to attract tourists to boost the economy while doing so safely amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Neighbors in the area complained about spending three to four hours in traffic after closing bridges during the curfew and some restaurants asked permission to continue food delivery after the curfew.
Miami tourism officials say billions of dollars were lost when the pandemic first erupted last year, canceling the spring break and forcing the closure of beaches across Sunshine State. The city’s tourism sector has just spent $ 5 million on its largest national advertising campaign in 20 years.