Toughest restrictions for spring break begin in Miami Beach. What to know
Miami Beach is pulling back on some of its harshest spring break measures this year, as officials look to ease the burden on businesses that felt the effects of the city’s “breakup” with spring break chaos.
But visitors will still be met with elevated parking rates, checkpoints and modified traffic patterns.
This weekend (March 12-15) and next weekend (March 19-22) are expected to be the peak dates for spring break visitors and will feature the most intense restrictions.
Here’s what to know about the rules in place for spring break 2026:
Parking
- Parking garages and surface lots south of 23rd Street will remain open; last year, they were closed entirely during two peak weekends.
- Each Thursday through Sunday in March, four parking garages in South Beach’s Art Deco District, between Fifth and 16th Streets on Washington Avenue and Ocean Drive, will have flat rates starting at $40 that could be increased to as much as $100. Resident rates do not apply for those garages.
- Street parking and surface parking lots in the area will be $20 per hour, with a $100 daily max. For registered residents, the typical $1 per hour charge still applies.
Shuttles
- The city will run 24-hour shuttles from the parking garages at Fifth Street, Sunset Harbour and 42nd Street every Thursday at 5 a.m. through Monday at 5 a.m. during the month of March. The system is intended to “lessen the burden” on employees at local businesses.
- Parking rates will not be elevated at those three garages, the city manager previously said.
- Shuttles will run every 10 minutes from the Fifth Street garage to and from Seventh Street and Washington Avenue from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., and every 20 minutes during other hours.
- From the Sunset Harbour and 42nd Street garages, shuttles will run every 15 minutes to and from 12th Street and Washington Avenue during peak hours and every 30 minutes otherwise.
Towing
Each weekend in March, towing rates will be doubled to $548 for non-city residents, similar to what was done in recent years.
DUI checkpoints
DUI checkpoints will be in place on March 13-14 and March 20-21.
Causeway traffic plan
Police will operate a license-plate reader detail on the eastbound lanes of the MacArthur and Julia Tuttle causeways on March 13-15 and March 20-22, starting at 10 p.m. Setup will start at 9 p.m. Drivers should expect delays.
Neighborhood traffic plan
- New traffic patterns will set in at 6 p.m. each Thursday through Sunday in March around the South of Fifth, West Avenue and Flamingo Park neighborhoods.
- Drivers can access the South of Fifth neighborhood via Alton Road, Washington Avenue and Collins Avenue.
- Drivers can access the Flamingo Park neighborhood only via Alton Road.
Changes on Ocean Drive
- Ocean Drive will only be accessible to cars from 15th Street, with the only exit at Fifth Street, on March 12-15 and March 19-22.
- Sidewalk seating on Ocean Drive will remain in place.
- Beach entrances on Ocean Drive will have security checkpoints but will no longer close at 6 p.m., a change from last year.
Curfews
No curfews have been announced, but Miami Beach officials have said that if things get out of hand, the city could still impose one.