Once Again, Spring Breakers Trashed Miami
Tourists once again wreaked havoc on the city of Miami.
From littering to creating public disturbances, they made hotspots like Ocean Drive intolerable and dangerous for local residents.
Miami, a gorgeous city with much to offer, continues to suffer consistently when spring breakers come to town.
According to the Miami Beach Police Department’s Instagram page, 488 arrests were made during this year’s spring break season—237 of which were felony arrests.
On March 17, a shooting on Ocean Drive left one man dead and another critically injured. Two days later, another man was shot dead in the area.
Both of the suspects in the shooting were visiting for spring break.
The safety of tourists and residents is infringed upon when visitors bring chaos and crime with them.
As someone who grew up going to South Beach, it’s disheartening to fear going to your own beach because of disrespectful tourists.
The Miami Beach City Commission temporarily prohibited the sale of alcohol after 6 p.m., but that is not enough. While alcohol may be a part of the problem, it’s not the leading cause of the mayhem.
Allowing large multitudes of people to swarm our most popular tourist attractions is simply asking for trouble. Without a curfew or a visitor limit, there is no telling when things will be resolved.
This is the third year in a row that Miami has had to implement a curfew during spring break. Last year, it was only implemented after several shootings led to five injuries. This year, we got a five-day curfew as a result of the recent shootings.
We shouldn’t wait for a tragedy to happen to take action.
If they are not committing crimes, rowdy spring breakers are preoccupied with trashing the very beaches they came to visit.
Every year, hundreds of pounds of garbage are picked up from our beaches during spring break.
Not only is this a disgusting sight, but it also endangers the wildlife we work so hard to protect. Though Miami implemented the Keep Miami Beach Clean campaign in 2016, the number of visitors makes this initiative impossible to accomplish.
Something must be done to prevent the mess local Miamians are left to clean after each spring break.
If a curfew doesn’t work, limiting the number of tourists who visit bars and restaurants during peak seasons will ensure we can preserve the beauty of our beaches and the local community.
