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Fort Lauderdale, FL – Spring break Florida Fort Lauderdale on the ocean said they were happy to have chosen the city over their southern neighbor, Miami Beachwhere officials intervened and ordered a curfew in response to the violence that erupted among the large crowd.
Hundreds of students attend schools in Maryland, OhioFlorida and elsewhere on Friday filled the beach in front of Las Olas Boulevard, swimming in the sun, throwing soccer balls and sneaking in one day while drinking.
The police, who followed the accident, felt quietly that contrast sharply with his colleagues in Miami Beach, who last week faced large crowds and steam shocking shooting in crowded places.
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“I don’t think it’s surprising that it happened in Miami,” one of the beachgoers, who called himself Anthony, a major in physiology at the University of Florida in Tallahassee, who is originally from Miami, told Fox News Digital. “It happens every day, such nonsense.”
So he decided not to go home during this spring break, although he said he still plans to go to Miami for a few nights at Music Week.
“Fort Lauderdale is much better than Miami when it comes to enjoying time, because everything here can be a little cheaper, people are much less, and you need to worry a lot less,” he said.
Many of his peers on the sand said they ruled out Miami Beach as a place for spring break long before curfew – higher spending was their main concern.
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Florida Communications Major Esa Vignon said she also stayed in Fort Lauderdale, attending some music weeks in Miami.
“We stay in Fort Lauderdale because it’s cheaper,” she said. “I feel like there are fewer people here and probably less crazy.”
Kyle, who studies environmental economics at the University of Maryland, said he stayed for a week with a group of friends at a rented house about 2 miles from Las Olas Boulevard. They planned to go down to South Beach to watch the nightlife, but changed their minds after the state of emergency.
“Plus cost is a factor because we are all broken and we have no money,” he said. “I think we worked very well with the choice of location, of course.”
Although open containers of alcohol were visible on the beach, the scene looked calm and cheerful, and police nearby said the visitors were mostly behaving decently.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida: March 24, 2022
(Fox News Digital)
“We were just looking for a place where there would be a lot of people our age and it wouldn’t be too expensive, and really, it was just the perfect environment for us,” said Grace, who studies communications at Towson University in Maryland. “So we thought Fort Lauderdale would be the perfect option for us. It was amazing. “
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She came with a group of 10 people and said she saw dozens of other classmates in the city.
Sabrina Johnson, who studies communications at South Georgia University, said that, as in Miami, Fort Lauderdale has desirable beaches and weather, but “it’s much safer”.
“It’s beautiful, 75 degrees, light wind, but the water is still warm,” she said. “It’s a little crowded but cold. Everyone is just enjoying the quiet time on the beach.”
Fort Lauderdale police agreed, saying in March they detained just 14 people and several notable incidents.
According to police, in Miami Beach, about 30 miles south, city officials arrested more than 600 people and confiscated more than 100 units of illegal firearms. Many hotels, bars and restaurants there are more expensive – and among the visitors were older guests who came to the Ultra Music Fest and other dance music events this week.
One 50-year-old man who dined at Clevelander on Ocean Drive said he planned his trip a year ahead and flew in from Arizona to spend more than $ 800 a night at a hotel on the waterfront just to learn about the curfew. before he arrived. He declined to give his name.
The surge in criminal activity peaked earlier this week when two people were injured in two shootings Sunday and Monday. A 19-year-old teenager from neighboring Hiale has been arrested, and at least two other gunmen remain at large.
Due to the shooting from Thursday to Monday morning from midnight to 6 am a curfew was imposed.
City police say more than half of the arrests on spring break are related to Miami-Dade County residents. According to Mayor Dan Gelber, the guns were confiscated from visitors who drove into the area, as opposed to the springs who were traveling by plane.
One of the main criticisms from business owners in Miami Beach because of the curfew was that it was a reactionary move at the end of the season, cutting their working hours after a two-year coronavirus pandemic that began with a blockade and pushed many potential travelers away. . at home, are very damaging to businesses and earn tips for employees.
David Wallach, who owns Mango’s major restaurant and bar on Ocean Drive in South Beach, told Fox News Digital that his earnings fell 66% on Thursday, the first night of curfew. And Rick Silverberg, whose Portofino Wine Bank liquor store, located on South Point Drive since 2003, is due to close at 6pm according to curfew, said he expects to lose about $ 10,000 a night.
“It doesn’t make sense to me that you can go to a bar anywhere and pick up and drop the number of throws you want to stuff and then go outside, but I can’t sell a bottle of wine to a resident that they want to dine on,” he told Fox News Digital on Friday, two days after curfew.
In Fort Lauderdale, police have released their safety recommendations and seasonal measures well in advance.
