Spring Break violence sees Miami Beach chiefs declare 'we're shutting the door on' the holiday

Officials in Miami have vowed to "shut the door on Spring Break" following years of violence after two new crackdown measures were introduced.

Thousands of partygoers in Florida head to Miami Beach for spring break which is where university students have a week or two off to let their hair down, but it has increasingly seen an increase in violence and lawlessness.

Last year, there were two shootings, 500 people arrested, and cops seized over 105 guns.

It has recently been mired in public disorder, shootings, and stampedes, and officials now are cracking down on the violence by banning alcohol in public. In addition, smoking tobacco and marijuana on beaches and parks is also banned.

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Alex Fernandez, a city commissioner, has blasted students for giving Miami Beach a bad reputation and said the planned new measures are a way of cracking down on the violence. A curfew is in place from 11.59pm to 6am from Friday to Monday.

“We’re shutting the door on spring break because we’re being proactive rather than reactive,” he told The U.S. Sun. “We’ve been taking much more stringent, proactive measures to hopefully deter the problem that we’ve seen in years past. The spring break of the past is no longer the spring break of Miami Beach.”

Officials in Miami have increased laws surrounding smoking weed on beaches and parks with offenders now facing a 60-day jail sentence or a £350 fine if they ignore them.

“What we’ve seen year after year is that people start smoking marijuana in public, get dehydrated, and start mixing it with alcohol," Fernandez said. “It creates an unruly environment."

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Mr Fernandez believes the tougher laws are a deterrent for students who believe they can cause havoc without any consequences.

“Before you might have gotten a fine. Now you bring the risk of getting arrested. That’s the deterrence we want to put out of there,” he said “A civil fine is just a slap on the hand. Do you really want to risk jail? Is that joint really worth getting arrested?”

Plastic straws, glass containers, and large tents are all banned along with drinking booze and smoking cannabis on the beach, with revellers forced to go through checkpoints before stepping onto the beach.

Officials have also increased parking charges to £80 and drivers are forced to pay £20 to park in garages on Thursdays to Sundays throughout March. Meanwhile, non-resident towing in South Beach has been increased to a whopping £450 - which is double the normal rate, according to the city.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has sent troopers to support the city’s efforts. “Governor DeSantis pledging full support for law and order in Miami Beach during spring break is a tool we haven’t had in the past,” Fernandez said.

“If someone is coming into Miami Beach and they’re coming in with an arrest warrant, we’ll catch them before they enter the city. If anyone’s coming into our city under the influence, we’ll get them before they get onto our streets.

“If you’re driving in to cause trouble, you’re going to be facing a lot of deterrence and an obstacle course to make it into our city. Everything is on the table. Every tool that we can use to enforce, we will be doing it. If you come to break the law, we will arrest you.”