Spring break arrests down in 2026, Miami Beach official says

Driving the news: Commissioner Alex Fernandez wrote in an email to residents Tuesday that arrests citywide decreased 14% from March 2 through March 23 — and down 24% in the Spring Break Zone.

• "Year after year, we have taken a thoughtful and deliberate approach to improving our Spring Break plan, and this year reflected a more coordinated and disciplined strategy."

Catch up quick: Miami Beach maintained its strictest spring break restrictions this year — including DUI checkpoints, license-plate readers and steep parking fees.

• But after business owners pleaded for fewer restrictions, the city moved to scale back other measures, including keeping sidewalk cafes open and removing some crowd-control barricades.

The city hosted several fitness-related events this month and released a promotional video encouraging health-centric tourism, a pivot from marketing campaigns of the past that tried to dissuade party-goers.

• "We didn't simply outgrow the problems of the past — we confronted them and broke the cycle," Mayor Steven Meiner wrote on Instagram.