The city set 20:00. evening clock to limit party.
Miami Beach officials have declared a state of emergency due to the “overwhelming” crowd during the spring break. They instituted a curfew rule over the weekend for its entertainment area and temporarily closed several roads leading to the city.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber announced the new measures, saying the city sometimes feels “out of control.”
“At the end of the day, all the policing in the world will not stop something terrible from happening if it is going to happen,” Gelber said at a news conference on Saturday. “Our city at the moment in this area has become a tinder, and we can not have a policy to simply hope it does not burn.”
The new emergency orders will be in effect for up to 72 hours, officials said.
The evening clock at 20:00 starts on Saturday. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was already a nationwide curfew from midnight to 6 p.m.
Eastern traffic on three highways will also be closed to traffic, with exceptions for residents and hotel guests, from 9pm to 6pm. Highway Ocean Drive will also be close to vehicle and pedestrian traffic at 8 p.m., except for residents, hotel guests. and business employees.
There are additional emergency measures that affect restaurant operations at night, including sidewalk cafes.
The city encourages all businesses that are an ‘impact area’ to close during this period, and urges hotel guests to stay off the street after 20 hours.
“It was not an easy decision to make,” interim city manager Raul Aguila told reporters. “We do this to protect public health and safety.”
“Most of you saw the crowd last night in the entertainment district numbering in the thousands, if not covered.” When he reached the pinnacle of spring break, we were simply overwhelmed in the entertainment district. “
Especially Friday night next to Ocean Drive was’ simply ‘overwhelming,’ he said.
“It looked like a rock concert,” Aguila said. “You could not see sidewalk and you could not see grass.”
The mayor said the spring break this season has attracted more visitors than in previous years, as access to other destinations may be restricted due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“People tend to come to the open space,” Gelber said.
Miami Beach police officers have used peppercorns at least twice in the past week to disperse crowds near Ocean Drive. Two police officers were injured last weekend when they arrested a suspect, the department said.
“We have done everything in our power to try to mitigate the behavior we see, but honestly, I’m worried that the behavior will become a little more for us to deal with,” the Miami Beach police chief said. Rick Clements said during the briefing.
According to Clements, there was one incident on Thursday night in which property was destroyed when hundreds of people broke up. Friday night, there were three such incidents that resulted in injuries, he said.
Some businesses have decided to close during the spring season. On Friday, the Clevelander in South Beach, a famous hotspot in the city, announced that it would cease its food and beverage operations until at least Wednesday.
“Recently, we are becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of our dedicated employees and valued customers and the City’s ability to maintain a safe environment in the area,” the management team said in an Instagram post.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio and Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.