83° 
Miami Beach is Breaking Up With
Spring Break
Expect curfews, security checkpoints at beach access points, early beach entrance closures, DUI details, bumper-to-bumper traffic, increased parking rates, road closures and arrests for drug possession and violence.
LOCAL LAWS & REGULATIONS
The following is illegal:
- Consumption of alcohol in public.
- Smoking tobacco or marijuana on beaches or in parks.
- Possession or consumption of narcotics.
- Driving under the influence.
- Driving a scooter or vehicle irresponsibly.
- Violence of any kind.
Prohibited on the beach:
- Smoking cigarettes or filtered tobacco products.
- Consumption of alcohol.
- Narcotics and marijuana.
- Large tents, tables or similar structures.
- Loud music.
- Large coolers.
- Glass containers.
- Styrofoam and plastic straws.
Every Thursday Through Sunday in March
For the entire month of March, the following high-impact measures will be in place every Thursday through Sunday:
- A flat parking rate of $30 will be in effect at city parking garages located on 42 Street and south — including the garages at 7 Street and Collins Avenue (G1), 12 Street and Washington Avenue (G2), 13 Street and Collins Avenue (G3), 16 Street between Collins and Washington avenues (G4), 17 Street and Convention Center Drive (G5), 18 Street and Meridian Avenue (G7), Lenox Avenue between 5 and 6 streets (G8), Pennsylvania Avenue and Lincoln Lane North (G9), 18 Street and Bay Road (G10) and 23 Street and Liberty Avenue (G12).Â
- The flat parking rate does not apply to residents, access card holders or authorized employees. On March 21 - 24 and March 28 - 31, in order to avoid the increased parking rates, residents, access card holders and employees CANNOT pay for parking on foot or via the ParkMobile app and MUST ONLY pay for parking at the exit lane, by pressing the intercom button or speaking with the attendant on site. Proof of residency or employment will be required at exit lanes, with payment only accepted via credit card. Miami Beach businesses should provide proof of employment (pay stub, letter, ID card, etc.) to their staff.
- The nonresident towing rate will be $516 — double the normal rate — plus a $30 administrative fee for vehicles towed in South Beach within the boundaries of 23 Street and Dade Boulevard on the north (including properties fronting the north side of 23 Street or Dade Boulevard), Government Cut on the south, Biscayne Bay on the west, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east.
- Coolers, inflatable devices, tents, tables and similar objects will not be permitted on the beach. Amplified music without a city-issued permit will also be restricted. As a reminder, alcohol and cigarette smoking are always prohibited on our beaches.
- Packaged liquor stores in the Entertainment District are always required to close at 8 p.m.
- The Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD) will implement a traffic plan each Thursday through Sunday to reduce traffic impacts around the South of Fifth (SOFI), West Avenue and Flamingo Park neighborhoods. Motorists can access the SOFI neighborhood via Alton Road, Washington Avenue and Collins Avenue. The Flamingo Park neighborhood can only be accessed via Alton Road. Local access restrictions will be enforced on some city streets to limit traffic and improve mobility for residents and business patrons.
THINGS TO KNOW
The following provides additional departmental information:
City Staffing:
- Department staffing levels for Miami Beach Police, Fire Rescue, Ocean Rescue, Code Compliance, Park Rangers, Parking and Sanitation will be significantly enhanced throughout March as detailed below.
Police:
- Residents, business owners and visitors can expect a heightened police presence throughout the month of March. MBPD will operate with extended hours and augmented staffing, using an enhanced Alpha/Bravo scheduling configuration to deploy more officers during peak days and times.
- Police staffing will be reinforced with support from various external law enforcement agencies, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami-Dade Schools Police Department and other municipal law enforcement agencies.
- Uniformed officers will proactively patrol in vehicles, on ATVs, bicycles and on foot. Additionally, in a continued collaborative effort with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, MBPD’s Marine Patrol will enforce all applicable laws along the City's waterways.
- We are also prepared to implement special event zones, as outlined in section 316.1891 of Florida's Statutes, provided certain criteria are met. These designated zones target unpermitted temporary activities or events drawing 50 or more attendees, which pose disruptions to normal traffic flow. Within these zones, the city holds the authority to impose doubled fines for traffic infractions and has the option to impound vehicles for violations. Furthermore, law enforcement retains the ability to temporarily enforce occupancy limits within special event zones, with associated costs potentially recoverable from event promoters or organizers
Fire:
- The Miami Beach Fire Department will have augmented staffing throughout South Beach. Fire Inspectors will conduct nightly inspections on weekends throughout the Entertainment District. Ocean Rescue will double staff lifeguard towers between 4 and 14 streets as needed. The 911 Call Center will have additional dispatchers on duty dedicated to South Beach calls. Emergency Management will monitor activities at a Level 2 activation.
Code Compliance:
- The Code Compliance Department will have enhanced staffing to include foot patrols, ATVs and bicycle patrols in addition to proactive patrols citywide, including our dedicated Short-Term Rental (STR) team. Coverage at the Miami Beach Marina will be increased to seven days with 12-hour shifts. Teams will also be conducting outreach to nightclub owners to remind them of regulations on promoted and self-promoted events. Scooter shops will also receive outreach visits regarding scooter regulations. The City’s Noise Ordinance will be aggressively enforced subject to provisions in any Conditional Use Permits or Temporary Injunctions.
Transportation and Mobility:
- Transportation and Mobility Department staff will monitor throughout each weekend traffic flows and provide timely traffic updates. They will work with the Police Department and Office of Marketing & Communications to help manage congestion and disseminate information on major traffic incidents throughout the City.
- Additionally, the City’s traffic monitoring and management contractor will monitor major thoroughfares to detect incidents creating congestion using available resources and equipment, including existing closed-circuit television and portable cameras in the city, the WAZE mobile application, programming portable variable message signs for traffic/event messaging, and modifying traffic signal timing as necessary to help manage congestion. Traffic Monitors will operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day during the high-impact period.
- Traffic monitoring personnel will be located at the Miami Beach Traffic Management Center (TMC) co-located at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) TMC. The City’s traffic monitors will coordinate with FDOT TMC staff on any incidents affecting traffic flow along the causeways to promptly dispatch Road Rangers and program real-time traffic messages on the overhead digital message boards on I-95, State Road 836 / I-395 / MacArthur Causeway, and State Road 112 / I-195 / Julia Tuttle Causeway.
Parks and Recreation Department:
- Miami Beach Park Rangers, maintenance and janitorial staff will have expanded service hours and increased personnel assignments. The core areas of focus will be the Lummus Park/South Pointe Park corridor, Ocean Drive and the Beachwalk south of 21 Street. Park Rangers will provide assistance on the beach as needed along with enforcement partners (MBPD, Ocean Rescue, Code, etc.).
Sanitation:
- Sanitation will have enhanced staffing each Thursday through Sunday in March, with additional pressure washing and mobile street sweeping being conducted on weekends as needed. In coordination with Miami-Dade County, Sanitation staff will also be assisting in shoreline cleanups each Thursday through Sunday during the Spring Break period.
Miami Beach Trolley:
- The Miami Beach free citywide trolley service will operate 15 hours a day, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., 7 days a week. For more information on the citywide trolley, click here.
Effective January 1, 2023, the City of Miami Beach has banned cigarette smoking and other tobacco products from public beaches and parks as per Ordinance 2022-4509. Fines range from $100 - $500 or up to 60 days in jail.
Up to 98% of cigarette filters are made of plastic fibers, which leads to an estimated 1.69 billion pounds of trash each year and each butt can take up to 10 years to disintegrate.
Let’s all do our part and keep our beautiful beaches clean!
