Miami Beach Cracks Down on Spring Break: No Music or Alcohol, Plus License-Plate Readers

[TexasTowelie]

Apparently, every large gathering in Miami Beach is now an excuse to attack citizens' privacy rights. In recent years, Miami Beach Police have cracked down hard on Memorial Day revelers, including with license-plate readers, which groups including the American Civil Liberties Union say pose a risk to the privacy of innocent people.

Now Miami Beach announced Monday that the city will impose a similar crackdown on spring breaker this year.

City Manager Jimmy Morales announced this week that the Beach will ban alcohol, coolers, speakers, inflatable devices, and tents on the beach March 3 through April 16. (That time frame also includes the annual Winter Music Conference, also known as Miami Music Week, which runs March 21 through 24.)

The city says Beach PD will use temporary license-plate readers during that time in order to catch alleged criminals with outstanding warrants who might be driving around town.

Read more: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-beach-cracks-down-on-spring-break-no-music-or-alcohol-plus-license-plate-readers-9114811

[Glamrock]

1. I wonder if this is short sighted.

Could the costs to the city be more than than the revenue generated? If so, it makes sense. But that seems hard to believe. Not that I'd know, I'm half a country away...

[TexasTowelie]

2. I never made it to the beach for spring break.

I didn't have a "beach body" since I was pathetically skinny when I was in college and I also burned easily in the sun. My final year in college I ended up with a case of food poisoning from eating an undercooked hamburger from Wendy's. My roommate and I traveled from Georgetown to Austin (28 miles) because we were going to get jump starts on our research papers at the UT library. Neither of us lasted for more than an hour before we got the crud and went back to school. I ended up writing the paper the night before for my advanced organic chemistry class and made a "B" so it didn't matter anyway.

[Glamrock]

4. Yeah, and I live on our great northern coast. (Lake Michigan)

No need to drive all the way to Florida. The only drinking rule on our beach is no glass. And, the beach patrol cops are cool. Never been harassed for having a uhm, "safety meeting" knee deep in the water.

[chillfactor]

3. seems to me...

this is going to cost the city in revenue....if I was a college student I would go some place else.

[TexasTowelie]

5. I doubt that many of the college students will hear about the crack down

until they already arrive at the beach and it is too late for them to back out of the hotel accommodations. For this year, the widest impact will be on the young adults in the area that become aware of the crack down. The impact on students will be felt in the following years if the reputation starts to spread that stricter law enforcement spreads throughout the country. I expect that the businessowners will be upset as they watch the spring break cash cow gets slaughtered. The two primary purposes of spring break are to get wasted and to get laid--the second is somewhat dependent upon the first.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Send them over to Trumpville, FL.

Let them rip that place up.