(NewsNation) — Spring break can get a little rowdy, but a fight club?
It’s happening on one beach in Florida as thousands of vacationers flock to the state.
NewsNation caught a much calmer version of college kids duking it out on the sand at Fort Lauderdale Beach. Joseph Lopez and a friend were engaging in a friendly spar with boxing gloves.
“Police aren’t letting us spar over there, so we had to move over here where it’s less crowded,” Lopez said.
Other beachgoers have noticed the fights, which have been recorded and posted to social media.
“I did see two kids fight, one of them was bleeding out of their mouth,” Demi Kalodimos said.
Florida is a popular spring break destination that draws thousands of visitors each year.
“For spring break, it’s all about the people, it’s the music, it’s the crowd,” beachgoer Nikita Subramaniam said.
Another, Jessica Sassoon, observed, “There’s a lot of fights that go on, but there’s a lot of drinking as well.”
Police along Florida’s coasts are on high alert. At least one Florida beach city recently implemented a curfew for people under 17.
In Miami Beach, there will be more police officers out during spring break than ever before.
“Cops on ATVs, cops on horses, there’ll be a lot of cops in our city on every corner, on every block,” Mayor Dan Gelber said.
Last year in Miami Beach, multiple shootings led to a spring break state of emergency.
Asked if he’s worried about the violence this year, Gelber said, “Listen, I have three children in their early 20s; I worry all the time. I worry about them, and I worry about my city, especially during spring break, when hundreds of thousands of young people are coming this way.”
Gelber is hoping for the best but preparing for the most challenging version of spring break.
