While police in Miami Beach are bringing in reinforcements to respond to rough springbreakers that clashed with officers over the weekend, Fort Lauderdale reported relatively few incidents amid large crowds of college students on the beach or elsewhere, and its mayor welcomes their protection over businesses that is looking to recover a year since the coronavirus pandemic broke out.
The contrast is very strong as the state and the country try to recover from the effects of coronavirus closures and restrictions, while also struggling with the increase in travel during the spring break and in recent weeks.
“It sometimes felt like this city was under a siege level simply from the amount of people coming,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
“If fifty or one hundred thousand people come there and only half of one percent are noisy or drunk or high at the point where they have to be controlled, it becomes a situation that is really chaotic and unmanageable,” he told WTVJ. and explains that there are too many people who have a ‘desire to go wild’, despite the coronavirus, which poses a “multifaceted danger to us”.
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He talked about the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, which saw few incidents on the second day that reinforcements were brought in from Miami-Dade police to increase the officer’s presence on the street. A fatal shooting Monday was the turning point for Gelber to seek security reinforcements after about 150 people were arrested over the weekend and two officers were injured in a clash with crowds.
Fort Lauderdale Sgt. DeAnna Greenlaw declined to comment on Fox News on Wednesday about how many more visitors came to the area this spring for the spring break compared to 2020, explaining that the department responds to 400-450 large-scale special events during the year ‘outside COVID. “
“We are no strangers to large crowds on the beach, and to date we have had only two arrests – one was for a warrant and one for disorderly conduct,” she said. “We are very pleased that everything is going well for spring break.”
The department expects the spring break season to continue through April 18, and last week, with FOX Business, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean J. Trantalis sent a welcoming message to potential visitors, telling college students and other people from the area . Hey, come on down. ‘
“It’s better to be here in Florida than in a stuffy dormitory. It’s better to enjoy the fresh outdoors here than to be stuck in a house where you hide,” Trantalis said. “We were pretty good at keeping the crowd, maintaining security. Do not expect to come to Fort Lauderdale without wearing a mask, and to keep those COVID protocols in place, but so far go that’s good. “
Over the weekend, an 18-year-old woman from Alabama in Fort Lauderdale was sexually assaulted by a man posing as her Uber driver when she was separated from friends during an evening. When asked about the incident, Greenlaw said it could have happened to anyone – not just springbreakers – and police are reminding visitors and residents to confirm that the license plate on the vehicle you are climbing in is the same as listed. on the drive app.
Crowds during the spring break gather at Fort Lauderdale Beach, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Larry Marano / InStar / Cover Images)
(Larry Marano / InStar / Cover Images)
“We took the opportunity to remind visitors and our residents of the safety precautions when using a ride-or-share app – all we can do is warn everyone in the community,” Greenlaw said. “We do not feel that springbreakers are necessarily a target. It could have happened to anyone who does not pay attention to the clues.”
The law enforcement of the code deals with any form of violation related to CDC, city and provincial guidelines, Greenlaw said. Fort Lauderdale police officers are responding and stepping up efforts to enforce the code. If someone is in a private institution and is not willing to follow the rules there, they receive a violation warning and are told to leave, she explained and when they refuse to leave, they are arrested pending the prosecution of the owner of the business.
Afternoon parties hit the sidewalk Thursday as Spring Break on Fort Lauderdale Beach pushes up. (Mike Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel / TNS / ABACAPRESS.COM)
After businesses were hit hard during the spring break last year, Trantalis said he wanted nothing more than for business owners to have a successful season and keep staff safe despite COVID-19.
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“You can help by keeping your employees and customers safe by following the CDC’s guidelines of face covering and social distance,” the mayor tweeted Monday. “For our visitors, you are the first time to prevent the spread of the virus. We can all work together to keep everyone safe.”
Crowds during the spring break gather at Fort Lauderdale Beach, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Larry Marano / InStar / Cover Images)
But in Miami Beach, police kicked off a busy spring holiday weekend by shooting pepper balls to disperse a crowd that had gathered around officers who had been arrested. Two officers were injured and had to be taken to a hospital. They were released early Saturday but remained on duty due to their injuries, police said.
James Harrison, 19, of Brooklyn, was arrested on charges of a police officer who violently resisted an officer, incited a riot and disorderly conduct. Harrison shouted police officers obscenities as they tried to break up a crowd of more than 200 people who blocked traffic, smoked marijuana and carried open containers around, according to a police report released Saturday.
Crowds during the spring break gather at Fort Lauderdale Beach, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Larry Marano / InStar / Cover Images)
Harrison then pushed an officer and the crowd surrounded officers who were at the intersection in the heart of Miami Beach’s famous nightclub and restaurant district, according to the Associated Press. Two officers fired peppercorns “because of the large, aggressive, riotous crowd and the immediate threat to the officer’s safety.”
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An officer killed Harrison after Harrison grabbed the front collar of the police frock collar while the officer tried to handcuff the suspect, authorities said. The move was an attempt to free Harrison’s grip, the report said. When he was on the ground, Harrison allegedly started kicking and propping his body to prevent him from being handcuffed, and an officer hit Harrison in the chest while another officer knelt in his shoulder.
“It should be noted that accused Harrison’s actions made the crowd extremely aggressive towards officers, posing a clear threat to their safety, due to the large number of rioting subjects who were there,” the police report reads.
Amid the chaos that the springbreakers brought, and after a man was killed in an unrelated shooting on Monday, Miami Beach police officer Richard Clements announced Tuesday that they will bring in reinforcements from nearby agencies and are ready to to close the highway and popular streets in the city. entertainment district to alleviate traffic and crowds, reports WTVJ.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.