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Miami Beach Mayor Declares State Of Emergency Due To Unruly Spring Break Crowds

By Chris King • Published: 21 Mar 2021 • 3:55

Miami Beach Mayor Declares State Of Emergency Due To Unruly Spring Break Crowds

Miami Beach Mayor Declares State Of Emergency Due To Unruly Spring Break Crowds. image: twitter

MIAMI BEACH Mayor Declares A State Of Emergency Due To The Large Number Of Unruly Spring Break Crowds

Dan Gelber, the Miami Beach Mayor, declared a state of emergency and set a curfew on Saturday 20, telling CNN’s Ana Cabrera the large crowds that have descended on the city are “more than we can handle. Too many are coming, really, without the intention of following the rules, and the result has been a level of chaos and disorder that is just something more than we can endure”.

In his news conference on Saturday Gelber said that in the city’s entertainment district, for the next 72 hours, an 8pm curfew was being put in place, and the causeways to Miami Beach from the mainland will be closed to non-local traffic starting at 9pm.
Gelber told CNN, “At night, it feels like a rock concert, wall-to-wall people over blocks and blocks, and on Friday night, someone shot a weapon into the air, and there was a riot. Other things have happened that are similarly challenging, and so it feels like a tinder, it feels like just any match could set it off”.
One of Miami Beach’s most iconic hotels, the Clevelander South Beach, announced on Friday on its social media pages and its website, “Recently, we have grown increasingly concerned with the safety of our dedicated employees and valued customers, and the ability of the City to maintain a safe environment in the surrounding area”.
It added, “Therefore, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close the food and beverage operations until at least March 24. Management will re-evaluate the situation over the coming days and decide whether to re-open or remain temporarily closed. Employees will be paid their full salary while the dining and bar areas are closed”.
Ernesto Rodriguez, a spokesman for Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD), said in a summary this week, “Miami Beach police ramped up staffing on February 3 to cover Super Bowl weekend, President’s Day weekend, and then we rolled straight into Spring Break staffing”
Continuing, “Since February 3, officers have made more than 900 arrests in the city, more than 300 of which were for felony offenses. At least per cent of those arrested reside outside of Florida”, and told Ana Cabrera that “at least two dozen arrests were made on Thursday, and on Friday, at least a dozen”.
Mayor Gelber then told the public, via CNN, “If you’re coming here because you’ve been pent up and you want to let loose, you think anything goes, please don’t come here. We have extra police everywhere, we’re going to arrest people, and we have been. We’re going to keep order. If you’re coming here to go crazy, go somewhere else. We don’t want you”.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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