Miami Beach is cutting ties with spring break.
In a new social media ad from the weekend, the city announced that it's “breaking up with spring break.” The public service campaign rolled out new measures to ensure tourists’ safety this month, which include curfews, bag checks, restricted beach access, DUI checkpoints, $100 parking, and stronger police enforcement for drug possession and violence.
In an attempt to further capture the spirit of the times, a new billboard also popped up in Miami, which shows a screenshot of a text message thread that reads, “You’re toxic. We’re done."
According to USA Today, Miami Beach is increasing security every Thursday through Sunday in March, and will limit beach access and shutter liquor stores early. From March 7-10 and March 14-17, parking garages will also be closed in South Beach.
Reactions to the campaign have been mixed, with some applauding Miami Beach, some wondering about the legality of the new security measures, and others calling the city out for purposely targeting Black and POC people.
Last year’s spring break left two people dead, and saw chaotic crowds, leading to a state of emergency. The year before, in 2022, two shootings injured five people, and the city instituted a curfew.
