Miami Beach commissioners ignore safety concerns, reject curfew — despite spring-break gun deaths | Opinion

Spring break, which saw with two shooting deaths last weekend, will party on this weekend, but without a curfew, thanks to cowed Miami Beach commissioners.

Monday, they decided to forgo a curfew. No need, critics say, city leaders would be overreacting. Really? Residents should take note.

During a raucous emergency meeting, commissioners buckled to demands from nightclub owners, some screaming at the elected officials from the audience that a curfew is too severe and would impact their bottom line.

To no avail, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber opened the meeting with this warning: “We can’t allow our streets to be dangerous for everyone.” Sure, we can, commissioners responded with their 4-3 vote to keep their tourist town curfew free.

Yes, fatal shootings are bad for business, but so are party-stifling curfews, they seem to be saying.

Profit over safety, with the threat of legal action did the trick.

Voting No to a curfew were Commissioners Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Ricky Arriola, David Richardson and Laura Dominguez.

They, in effect, ignored warnings from their top security officer, Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements.

Supporting it were Gelber, Vice Mayor Steven Meiner and Commissioner Alex Fernandez.

Those voting No made the case that arriving spring breakers, many here to attend Ultra Music Festival in Miami, should not be punished for what happened this previous week. They also noted that spring break is almost over.

And Rosen Gonzalez said businesses that rely on the spring break crowds should not suffer just because the city failed to prepare, an accusation rejected by Gelber and City Manager Alina Hudak, who have planned events to control crowds. The measures, concerts and athletic events, worked during the day. No amount of planning has helped control a nighttime Wild, Wild West.

Spring break blew up this past weekend in the most tragic way. Two young people, one a college student from Georgia, lost their lives. They were shot and killed in separate incidents Friday and Sunday. “It’s clear the crowds that came here this weekend were intent on causing chaos,” Hudak said. The city declared a state of emergency Sunday and imposed a midnight curfew.

But no curfew next weekend. It’s disappointing that the majority of Miami Beach commissioners would roll the dice and take no serious action to curtail the unruliness, even though blood has been spilled.

There are just too many people, too much liquor and too many guns — at least 70 had been confiscated by the end of last weekend. Every night, Ocean Drive turns into a tinder box no matter how many police officers are on the ground. Some would add that late-night liquor sales are to blame; others say all the unruly behavior happens on the streets away from clubs.

Thank goodness there were not more victims over the weekend, given the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and their stampede after shots rang out. At the urging of Meiner, Gelber had called the special meeting Monday to discuss how to stem the violence for the remaining days, but it didn’t go as expected.

“Balancing public interest over safety . . . we can’t do that when we’ve had two deaths and police are telling us it’s a dangerous situation,” Gelber said. “I think we’re making a big mistake.”

“There’s a lot of money at stake, but there are lives at stake, too,” added Meiner.

In the end, commissioners only approved ending the sale of liquor by package stores at 6 p.m.

Gelber is bracing himself for another tense weekend. “All we have now is a wing and a prayer, and that’s not a plan,” he said.

We agree. Keeping their fingers crossed shouldn’t be the best Beach leaders can do.

This story was originally published March 19, 2023 at 9:41 PM.