More spring break chaos on streets of Miami Beach

Florida’s famed South Beach is desperately seeking a new image. With more than 1,000 arrests and nearly 100 gun seizures already during this year's spring break season, officials are thinking it may finally be time to cleanse the hip neighbourhood of its law-breaking, party-all-night vibe.

The move comes after years of increasingly stringent measures - banning alcohol from beaches, canceling concerts and food festivals - have failed to stop the city from being overrun with out-of-control parties and anything-goes antics. This weekend alone, spring breakers and pandemic-weary tourists drawn by Florida's loose virus-control rules gathered by the thousands along famed Ocean Drive, at times breaking into street fights, destroying restaurant property and causing several dangerous stampedes.

Ultimately, the city decided to order an emergency 8 p.m. curfew that will likely extend well into April after the spring break season is over. Some tourists are angry about the curfew, which they say has put a damper on long-sought vacations for which they paid good money.

Meanwhile, some officials say they should have enacted more stringent measures sooner - as was done in New Orleans prior to Mardi Gras last month - instead of reacting in the middle of the chaos. The pandemic provided the perfect storm for large crowds: an unseasonably cold winter, pent-up demand from being quarantined at home and the lure of a sunny climate with miles of sandy beaches in a state with few COVID-19 restrictions. 

(Image Credits: AP)