City, business leaders agree: Spring break went smoothly on South Beach
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Police officers patrol Ocean Drive during spring break. Photo: Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
This spring break, Miami Beach saw fewer arrests, emergency medical calls and noise complaints than in 2025, according to city officials.
Why it matters: Apart from being welcome news to city leaders and residents, business owners who in the past criticized the city's spring break tactics are celebrating, too.
- This was the third year in a row that Miami Beach officials said they contained spring break mayhem, after prior party periods were marred by gun violence, stampedes and curfews.
Catch up quick: The city took a slightly less aggressive stance to spring break this year, hearing pleas from businesses to scale down some crowd-control measures and be more welcoming in its public messaging.
- Business leaders applauded the city's efforts during meetings this week asking for community feedback.
What they're saying: "We had our strongest month in the past four years that we've been running our business," Jessica Shults, a hospitality property operator in South Beach, said at a meeting Tuesday.
- Ceci Velasco, executive director of the Ocean Drive Association, said businesses on the tourist strip did "really well," a noted improvement from a few years ago when crowd stampedes forced some to close.
- "There's no going back, there's only going forward," Velasco said.
Yes, but: There were still some complaints, including about the city's increased towing rate and traffic control measures.
By the numbers: Compared to last year, arrests were down 16% citywide and 25% in the spring break zone, police said.
- The fire department said total incidents in the South Beach entertainment district were down about 66%, while medical calls were down 68%.
- Code compliance said noise complaints were down 24% overall.
Between the lines: The city hosted several fitness-related events in March and released a promotional video encouraging health-centric tourism, a pivot from marketing campaigns of the past that tried to dissuade party-goers.
- "The city's strategic repositioning of Spring Break ... contributed to a more controlled, predictable, and experience-driven environment," city manager Eric Carpenter wrote in a recent memo.