Miami Beach issues curfew after 2 fatally shot amid spring break revelry

City of Miami Beach issues state of emergency, curfew after shootings - The Washington Post
The city of Miami Beach issued a state of emergency and a curfew for Sunday night into Monday morning after two people were fatally shot amid spring break and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations over the weekend. In response to “excessively large and unruly crowds,” the city said Sunday that a curfew would be in effect for the South Beach area from 11:59 p.m. to 6 a.m., and that a similar curfew would be issued this upcoming weekend. One man died and another was left in critical condition after a shooting Friday evening, Miami Beach police said. Four firearms were recovered from the scene, police said, calling the shooting an “isolated incident.” About 3:30 a.m. Sunday, officers heard gunfire and found a man with gunshot wounds, police “The volume of people in our city, the unruly nature of too many and the presence of guns has created a peril that cannot go unchecked, especially in the evenings,” Mayor Dan Gelber (D) said in a video address on Sunday. Businesses were instructed to close early enough to give customers time to “avoid violating the curfew,” the city said. Alcohol sales were prohibited after 6 p.m. Sunday. The restrictions marked a sort of Groundhog Day for Miami Beach, a city of about 80,000 perched on an island just off the coast of Miami. Miami Beach attracts “millions of visitors to its world-famous shores each year,” the city says. But it has grappled in recent years with how to balance drawing in tourists and maintaining a relative calm for residents and more relaxed vacationers. Gelber said last year that spring break was “not something we want to endure.” On Friday, he had tweeted, “Have a safe and fun Spring Break,” and reposted a promotional video for the city, showing beachgoers and nightclub partyers.

Have a safe and fun Spring Break— Dan Gelber (@MayorDanGelber)
#MiamiBeach🌴☀️ #FindYourWave🌊 https://t.co/duF4H7p63e March 17, 2023 However, he said in an email late Sunday: “I don’t want spring break. It’s just too hard for us to manage.” “We don’t advertise for people to come here,” he added.