Miami Beach ends curfew after weeks of spring break partying, but some restrictions remain
After more than two weeks of curfews in Miami Beach due to eventful — at times chaotic — spring break nights, the city will be putting an end to it.
The City of Miami Beach on Tuesday canceled the 8 p.m. curfew imposed each Thursday through Sunday, but other restrictions will take its place.
From April 8 through 12, all sidewalk cafes, including extended outdoor restaurant seating, will be suspended every night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the High Impact Zone. The area includes South Beach’s main commercial strips — Ocean Drive, Washington Avenue and Collins Avenue — from Fifth to 16th streets..
On the MacArthur Causeway, police will deploy a license-plate scanner on the eastbound lanes from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Though the city curfew disappeared, Miami-Dade County’s nightly curfew remains in place from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. until it ends on April 12.
During the Miami Beach curfews, businesses and residents were concerned about the subsequent impact.
Some of Miami’s Black social-justice leaders criticized how the city had treated large groups of Black vacationers in town for Spring Break.
Less than three weeks ago, police enforcing the curfew fired pepperballs at a crowd. Cops carrying assault-style rifles also stood outside a SWAT truck stationed nearby.
A week after its implementation, residents rallied outside City Hall on to protest the city’s handling of the spring break crowds, urging more forceful action to limit the party scene in South Beach.
Cynietra Copeland, who is Black and a 38-year-old account director for an energy-drink company, said at the rally, “Most of the videos show people who look like me behaving badly. It’s not fair to target one demographic, because it hasn’t always been one demographic.”
Since Feb. 3, there have been over 1,000 arrests made in Miami Beach — most for minor crimes and misdemeanors. Although, there was the arrest last month of two North Carolina men who were charged with drugging and raping a 24-year-old woman in a hotel room.
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 7:40 PM.
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