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Here's how Miami Beach successfully broke up with spring break

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Here's how Miami Beach successfully broke up with spring break


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Florida has long been a popular destination during the winter months. Whether the panhandle’s beaches, the theme parks of Orlando or the quieter Gulf Coast, the state had something for everyone. 

But for years, everyone knew that Miami Beach was best avoided in the “spring break” months of March and April. South Beach, in particular, on the southern tip, was a rowdy place to be. Fights, garbage and arrests were all standard. The crowds were excessive and felt dangerous. It was certainly not somewhere for families to visit.

This year, Steven Meiner, the new mayor of Miami Beach, elected just in November, pledged to put an end to that reputation. 

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The first night of Miami Beach’s spring break curfew saw smaller crowds, which thinned out early and were completely gone after the midnight shutdown. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

Our family vacationed on Miami Beach a few weekends ago to see for ourselves. The change from previous years was dramatic.

MIAMI BEACH SPRING BREAK RESTRICTIONS PROVED TO BE ‘HUGE SUCCESS’ FOR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES

Police were very present but quietly so. It didn’t seem like a scary environment that required police presence, just that they were around in case of any problems. The city felt safer but also cleaner and more organized. Disorderly crowds were nowhere to be seen. 

I had assumed they achieved this result with more arrests. But, in fact, arrests were down this year from previous years. It turns out deterrence played an important role. The city ran an ad campaign, that had gone viral online, “breaking up” with spring break. 

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Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, at the podium, with Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, during a spring break law enforcement crackdown. (Fox News Digital)

A memorandum from Rickelle Williams, interim city manager, a few days ago, noted, “While some of the measures had been employed in the past, the totality of the 2024 spring break measures was unprecedented, particularly with respect to the ‘Miami Beach is Breaking Up with Spring Break’ campaign that reached a global audience and garnered an estimated 19.8 billion media impressions.” 

POLICE IN FORT LAUDERDALE REPORT SURGE OF SPRING BREAKERS AMID MIAMI BEACH CRACKDOWN

I spoke with Mayor Meiner about the city’s success. He told me “the ad campaign was instrumental” to the positive outcome. The ad campaign warned people coming to vacation on Miami Beach that the city wouldn’t stand for bad behavior. Just saying so helped control that bad behavior.

Of course, it couldn’t be done with a good ad alone. Meiner told me that they had a united front. From government agencies to businesses, everyone wanted a safer, happier spring break scene. 

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“Everyone is saying enough is enough,” Meiner said. “Law and order are priority number one. Gov. Ron DeSantis visited several times and said he would provide whatever the city needed. The state was a great partner and came through for us. The county gave us many police officers. Everyone was on the same page.”

MIAMI BEACH LAUNCHES ‘BREAKNG UP WITH SPRING BREAK’ AD TO DISCOURAGE UNRULY TOURISTS

As part of Meiner’s 14-point plan, neighboring police departments stepped in to help too: “Law enforcement agencies providing additional resources to the Miami Beach Police Department, including the Florida Highway Patrol, Miami-Dade. County Police Department, City of Miami Police Department, and Coral Gables Police Department, among other jurisdictions.” 

It makes sense. When bad behavior is happening on Miami Beach, it could easily spill over into other areas. 

Most of all, the City of Miami Beach simply enforced laws that were already on the books. Open container laws and the city’s noise ordinance already existed, but demanding they be followed went a long way to curbing other law-breaking.

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The mayor told me the city had “no fatalities, no stampedes,” during the spring break time, as they had had in previous years.

The message of the Miami Beach cleanup to other cities is: It doesn’t have to be this way. 

Miami Beach has shown that good coordination among government agencies leads to good results. But they’ve also shown that enforcing the law, and telling visitors they plan to do so, leads to more law-abiding behavior. 

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Much of it is not rocket science. Cities that have allowed themselves to spiral into being targets for crime largely don’t enforce existing laws. 

Miami Beach has drawn a line in their soft, white sand: Not here, not anymore. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM KAROL MARKOWICZ



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Miami, FL

Miami Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves Final Injury Update: Anthony Edwards’ status divulged

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Miami Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves Final Injury Update: Anthony Edwards’ status divulged


The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that guard Anthony Edwards is now available to play in Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat after originally being listed as questionable with right foot injury maintenance.

Here’s the rest of the injury report and game preview:


INJURY REPORT

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HEAT

Tyler Herro: Available – Toe

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Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Out – Ankle

Nikola Jovic: Available – Groin

Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team

TIMBERWOLVES

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Anthony Edwards: Available – Foot

Terrence Shannon Jr.: Out – Foot

Joan Beringer: Out – G League


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Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. EST, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: TV: Peacock,

Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida) 100.3 FM (Minnesota)

VITALS: The Miami Heat (20-16) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13) meet for the second and final regular season matchup after just facing off three days ago with Minnesota recording a, 125-115, win in Miami on January 3. The teams split the series, 1-1, last season with each squad winning on the road. The Heat are 36-35 all-time versus Minnesota during the regular season,
including 19-16 in home games and 17-19 in road games.

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PROJECTED STARTERS

HEAT

G Davion Mitchell

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G Tyler Herro

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C Bam Adebayo

F Norman Powell

F Andrew Wiggins

TIMBERWOLVES

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G Donte DiVincenzo

G Anthony Edwards

C Rudy Gobert

F Jaden McDaniels

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F Julius Randle

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Spread: Heat +5.5 (-112), Timberwolves -5.5 (-108)

Moneyline: Heat +166, Timberwolves -198

Total points scored: 239.5 (over -106, under -114)

QUOTABLE

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Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on the forced turnovers: “That is and has to be our identity. We have to play with a recklessness and activity level that exceeds our opponent, and thats not to put down our talent level or anything like that, it’s more about we look different when we’re flying around and making plays and making it tough for the opponent.”


For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.


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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket



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Man shot during $22,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested

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Man shot during ,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested


Three men were arrested Saturday after a robbery inside a Miami clothing store left a man shot and hospitalized, according to Miami police and arrest affidavits.

The incident happened Friday afternoon in Miami’s popular Design District neighborhood.

Police said officers were dispatched around 4:20 p.m. Friday to the area of Miami Avenue and Northeast 41st Street after receiving reports of a man who had been shot. Officers found the victim, who told them he had been robbed and shot while shopping inside a Supreme store located at 45 NE 41st Street.

According to investigators, the victim said he was approached by three suspects inside the store, including one person with whom he had a prior conflict originating from the Atlanta area. Police said an argument broke out, and one suspect forcibly removed a gold chain from the victim’s neck. The chain was valued at approximately $22,000, according to police.

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As the suspect ran out of the store, the victim attempted to chase him, police said. During the pursuit, an unidentified male shot the victim once in the stomach. The suspects then fled the area in a white Mercedes-Benz, according to the arrest affidavits. 

Miami Police detectives later located the suspect vehicle parked near Northeast 10th Avenue and Northeast 91st Terrace. Police said they conducted surveillance and observed the suspects abandon the vehicle and walk through a nearby residential area before entering a home in the 800 block of Northeast 90th Street.

A residential search warrant was executed, resulting in the arrest of three suspects. During the search, detectives recovered the victim’s gold chain, keys to the suspect vehicle, and clothing believed to have been worn during the robbery, police said.

The suspects were identified as Jamar McKay, 25, Omarion Phillips, 20, and Kevieon Smith, 21. McKay was charged with armed robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon. Phillips and Smith were charged as accessories after the fact, with Smith also facing an additional firearms-related charge, according to court records.

“This arrest sends a clear message: violent crime will not be tolerated in the City of Miami,” Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said in a statement. “Individuals who commit acts of violence in our city will be identified, located, and held fully accountable.”

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations


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The Miami Hurricanes are looking to buck a bad trend. They’re 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Coach Mario Cristobal’s team gets its fifth shot this week as Miami (12-2) squares off against Mississippi (13-1) in the Fiesta Bowl at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 at State Farm Stadium. The school may be 0-4 historically, but there is plenty at stake. This Fiesta Bowl is serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal.

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The Hurricanes, the No. 10 seed in the 12-team playoff field, arrived at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at the Ragsdale Executive Terminal of Sky Harbor Airport. The opposing team is expected 24 hours later.

The gathered crowd of 100 or so was made of members of the Fiesta Bowl Committee, easily identifiable in their yellow jackets, and their families.

In the past, there had been a welcome event in a tent adjacent to the runway. The coach typically made an opening statement, but players and coaches walked off the plane and straight to their buses parked nearby.

Players, dressed in white sweatsuits, filed off their American Airlines flight in single file on a blue carpet.

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The players will take part in a media day on Jan. 6 at a Scottsdale hotel, with the coaches talking to the media the following day, the eve of the contest.

The Hurricanes enter on the heels of a six-game winning streak. Their last loss came on Nov. 1 against SMU, a game decided in double overtime 26-20. They have surrendered just 17 points in their two postseason games.

The winner advances to the national championship game on Jan. 19 against the winner of the other semifinal, the Peach Bowl between Oregon and Indiana.



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