Miami

Zero Tolerance: Fort Lauderdale Police Cracking Down on Spring Breakers

Miami Beach taking their own measures but also having police using a lifeguard stand as a DJ booth

Fort Lauderdale Police are taking a zero tolerance approach to 2018 spring breakers, saying they'll be fully enforcing alcohol and nudity laws.

In a news release Friday, police say they want a "safe and enjoyable Spring Break" and want visitors to be aware of the rules. Spring break officially begins Monday and runs through the end of April.

Among the laws police say will result in an arrest or a notice to appear are:

  • Possession/serve/give an alcoholic beverage to a person under 21
  • Refusing to leave or returning to an establishment after being warned
  • Possessing or displaying fraudulent identification card
  • Possessing an open container of alcohol within a public place which is not an enclosed structure
  • Consuming alcohol in an establishment for off-premise consumption only
  • Causing a public disturbance while intoxicated
  • Engaging in physical fighting or in violent, threatening behavior
  • Public indecency; exposing sexual organs or female’s breasts
  • Tents, tables, and similar structures are prohibited on the beach
  • ABSOLUTELY NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ON THE BEACH

Police say visitors will be hearing a special public announcement at the beach.

"Welcome to Fort Lauderdale Beach. As a reminder, neither alcohol nor glass containers are allowed on the sand and sidewalks. Please dispose of all trash properly in the nearby receptacles to assist us in keeping your beach clean," the announcement says.

Meanwhile, further south in Miami Beach, the city will be taking their own measures keep everyone safe. Among those measures are:

  • Coolers, inflatable devices, tents, tables and similar structures on the beach will not be permitted.
  • The limitation of live or amplified music.
  • The limitation of traffic routes to prohibit vehicular access to non-residents, and permit access only for residents and those patrons and employees of businesses located in the specific area where traffic routes have been limited.
  • The establishment of occupancy limits for different segments of beach property, and prohibiting access to those areas that have reached those occupancy limits, in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the general public.
  • The prohibition of any direct or indirect consumption of alcohol on the beach property.
  • The implementation of a license plate reader police detail, which may be utilized on eastbound traffic lanes of the MacArthur and Julia Tuttle causeways.
  • Depending upon crowd size and in the interest of public safety, the Miami Beach Police Department may close Ocean Drive or a portion thereof between 5 to 12 streets during peak hours.
  • Deployment of Goodwill Ambassadors on the weekends to provide tips and assistance to beach-goers.

It isn't all about cracking down though. Miami Beach Police say they're turning a lifeguard stand into a DJ booth on Saturdays and Sundays throughout March. Two MBPD officers will be the DJs in the booth along the 600 block of the beach from 1 p.m. to about 6 p.m.

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