“Hey. We need to talk. This…isn’t working anymore,” is how a new Spring Break public service announcement from the city of Miami Beach began.
“And it’s not us. It’s you,” it continued. Published on the city’s website, the video goes on to explain that the city is “breaking up” with Spring Break, particularly the side of it that brings partygoers who “just want to get drunk in public and ignore laws.”
Last year, unruly crowds, public intoxication, some crime, and an all-around sense of belligerence in Miami during Spring break led headlines across the country.
The PSA mentioned curfews, restricted beach access, and even bag checks. Increased parking fees, DUI checkpoints, and “strong police enforcement” are also going into effect for this Spring Break season.
Some responses to the PSA have applauded the city’s efforts to eliminate potentially dangerous activity. Others, however, saw the messaging as biased, primarily toward travelers of color, noting the price hikes as “elitism” and mentioning the increased Black presence in recent years.
Here’s what the internet had to say about the breakup
On the city of Miami Beach’s YouTube channel, one user, @Feliciashea3506, wrote, “As someone who worked in the restaurant business down there, I dreaded this time of year more than any other time…It was downright dangerous to work in any number of establishments in southern Florida during Spring Break.”
Another user, @Vinny2000089, wrote, “As someone who’s lived in Miami Beach and visited frequently before that, this isn’t about crime. There’s crime of one sort or another year-round…This is actually about racism. Miami Beach residents absolutely loathe the seasonal influx of the many non-white visitors drawn to the area during the Spring Break festivities. Someone should do a video asking MB residents to break up with their racism.”