Published On: March 20th, 2023Categories: Florida News

Miami Beach is declaring a state of emergency and instituting a midnight curfew starting Sunday night in response to two fatal shootings and an unruly crowd, according to a city news release.

The curfew is in force starting at 11:59 p.m., Sunday, going until 6 a.m. Monday and may involve shutting down traffic in the core entertainment areas. Also, the shutdown is expected to be reinstituted in anticipation of next weekend, as Spring Break crowds converge on the area.

It’s the third year that the barrier island has been faced with gridlock, stampedes, injuries and violence — and instituted curfews to get control. This is happening despite “a vast and highly visible police officer presence in the city,” according to the emergency declaration.

“It is necessary and the mostly narrowly tailored approach … to prevent the migration of massive crowds from the Ocean Drive area into the surrounding residential areas,” the emergency declaration says.

City Manager Alina Hudak is calling a special City Commission meeting for 4 p.m., Monday to discuss what specific steps will be taken beyond Monday to “mitigate dangerous and illegal conduct.”

For now, business within the declared emergency area must close before midnight. The area is bound by 23rde Street and Dade Boulevard to the north, Government Cut (a man-made channel) to the south, Biscayne Bay on the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

Hotels in the affected areas can serve only guests and must not admit more people after the 11:59 p.m. cutoff time.

Two fatal shootings have rocked Ocean Drive as vast Spring Break crowds have converged on the core area, according to the Miami Herald. The first shooting, that also involved another wounded, was at 10:30 p.m., Friday on Ocean Drive. And the second one was at 3:30 a.m., Sunday near the intersection of 11the Street and Ocean Drive, the Herald reported.

Restaurants can operate after curfew for delivery only, according to the order; takeout business is prohibited, the order says. The curfew won’t apply to emergency services, people going to and from work, and residents and hotel guests requiring access to their homes and hotels.

The city has faced accusations of racism in the past as its tried to cope with the crowds of young people celebrating Spring Break. One incident in 2021 involved SWAT team vehicles firing pepper spray balls to disperse crowds that critics called heavy-handed and argued wouldn’t have happened had the crowds been mostly White.

“Many of the visitors to the City during March are under the influence of alcoholic beverages and have demonstrated a blatant disregard for the rule of law,” the emergency declaration issued Sunday reads.

The two fatalities occurred even though law enforcement in the area has impounded more than 70 firearms and arrested 322 people between Feb. 27 and Sunday, the city said in the emergency declaration.

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