MIAMI BEACH, Fla.—A person was killed and three people injured at St. Patrick’s Day gatherings on March 17 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
Three separate Spring Break shootings triggered active alerts that led to a lockdown and evacuation of the downtown area.
Authorities said they are still looking for three suspects.
Florida beaches are no stranger to large crowds and shootings during Spring Break, with two being reported last year in Miami Beach.
However, that vacation hot spot 350 miles south of Jacksonville Beach appeared drastically different than in prior years.
Cora Earl has been living in Miami Beach for four years and finally felt safe enough to walk her dogs on Ocean Drive as Spring Break entered its second week.
“I actually like it, I feel safe,” she told The Epoch Times on March 15. “Usually, I don’t walk up to the beach this time of year ... so it’s been nice to actually walk up here.”
The famous street and linear park that runs between the row of Art Deco hotels and the white-sand shore of the Atlantic Ocean was sparsely populated that Friday morning.
Ms. Earl spoke to The Epoch Times alongside a stretch of the road closed to vehicles, while fenced-off street parking and police cars and ATVs served as reminders of the increased presence of law enforcement.
It’s like night and day, she said, comparing the scene to the previous year. “There’s more police, I think, than actually Spring Breakers.”
But she said it’s nice to have a consistent police presence and that “you don’t feel scared to walk up here.”
It appears that she was not alone, as several other dog owners could be seen walking around day and night throughout the weekend. There were also a lot of families with young children mixed into the crowd.
“The goal is public safety,” Miami Beach Police’s Public Information Officer (PIO), Christopher Bess, told The Epoch Times while out on Ocean Drive on March 14, he added that their data showed the population would be higher than last weekend.
“This time last year, you could not see Ocean Drive,” he said. “This year, I believe that our messaging was very aggressive. I believe that our messaging is very effective. I believe that people who are in our city—who decided to come to our city—they can see the difference.
“We’ve had many visitors say that they feel safe. They’re appreciative of the law enforcement presence, so it’s definitely a difference.”
A curfew between 11:59 p.m. and 6 a.m. was put in place for the section of Miami Beach between Dade Boulevard and South Pointe which is also known as “South Beach.”
Along with the road closure, parking garages, and street parking were closed to visitors this weekend, beginning at 6 a.m. on Thursday (March 14) and ending at 6 a.m. on March 18.
One parking garage with a $100 flat charge remained available.
Residents like Ms. Earl are not affected by these new restrictions.
DUI checkpoints and license plate reading details were also posted. Beach access, which was restricted to three entry points with security checkpoints on Fifth Street, Tenth Street, and Twelfth Street, closed at 6 p.m.
Businesses that rent vehicles to tourists, like golf carts, motorized scooters, and mopeds, were ordered to suspend all operations from Thursday to Monday.
The sale or distribution of alcohol for consumption off the premises was ordered to end at 6 p.m., packaged liquor stores in the area were ordered to close by 8 p.m., and no alcohol was allowed on the beach.
Every single resource within the police department, including undercover resources, is deployed in the field working minimum 13-hour shifts, Mr. Bess said.
On top of that, he said 18 different local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies were present over the weekend.
Those outside agencies included the Miami-Dade Police Department, the South Miami Police Department, the North Miami Police Department, the Coral Gables Police Department, ATF officers, and the Miami Police Multi-Agency Gang Unit.
Security cameras were also set up across the entertainment area.
As night fell, the flashing red and blue blended with the vintage neon.
Interceptors from various police departments sat on the park’s grassy hills, and the various law enforcement officers walked along the street and cruised the area in formations of bicycles, motorcycles, and ATVs.
“I said, ‘That’s exactly the point. We want to be strong. We want to be strong and send that message!’”
This year, Ocean Drive remained clear, and while the crowds still packed the beach, and clubs along Ocean Drive, were far from what they were in previous years.
Ms. Earl and some spring breakers told The Epoch Times that some of their out-of-state friends thought “Spring Break was Canceled in Miami.”
Rashad from Baltimore said that some of his friends who were originally planning to come with him to Miami decided to cancel their trip due to the reported restrictions and opted for other places in Florida, Houston, and Atlanta.
He also said that he doesn’t feel like the police presence is inhibiting the experience in a negative light.
“I think they’re just trying to stop the violence like the shooting and stuff. That’s what they care about,” he said. “Like, everything’s going alright.”
Jacksonville Beach Police told members of the media on March 18 that there was no evidence to suspect that the shooting suspects had anything to do with the location receiving any “overflow from down south,” as they had “no solid intelligence” to suspect any such overflow was being received.
Now, Mr. Bess confirmed that several arrests are still being made in Miami Beach, including one instance witnessed by The Epoch Times that saw two men sent off in a Prisoner Transport vehicle just before 8 p.m. on March 16.
Those arrests also that have had to be made have reportedly been, thus far, civil.
“I liked the high police [presence],” Matt from Long Island told The Epoch Times on March 16. “I like that everywhere I look there’s someone watching me, making sure I’m okay down here.”
Matt is a student at Suffolk Community College, utilizing the G.I. bill after serving 10 years in the Marines. He was visiting with his friends Alex, who also served in the Marines, and James.
Staying at the Fountainbleu, which is north of the curfew zone, this trip was their first experience of Ocean Drive and South Beach. Other than reporting that multiple people asked them if they wanted to buy drugs, they said they were having a great time.
“Here, I feel like it’s very friendly,” said Alex. “A lot of the people I’ve met have been very open. The cops are super friendly across the street. I love the aesthetic here.”
While the curfew hit at 11:59 p.m. on March 16, people began leaving Ocean Drive much earlier, and as the bars closed several hours before their normal closing time, concern remains on how the curfew and the general lack of visitor access created by the parking limitations would affect South Beach’s businesses.
“The only thing I do worry about is us, as locals,” Ms. Earl said. “I bartend, and it hasn’t been as busy as usual. For people in the industry, I think it’s kind of hard. It’s not as busy as usual.”
But she still thinks what has happened is “pretty great.”
“I hope Memorial Day weekend is the same way,” she said.
