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The mayor of Miami Beach wants to cancel Spring Break as footage emerged of the moment a man was shot dead on a sidewalk during another wild weekend of partying.
‘We haven’t asked for spring break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, brings too much disorder and is simply too difficult to police,’ said Democratic mayor Dan Gelber.
The chaotic weekend saw two men shot dead and partygoers jumping on a car, brawling in streets and even trashing a slushie shop on the main drag despite the city instituting a curfew on Sunday night.
Footage showed the horrifying moment one man was shot execution-style on Ocean Drive early Sunday morning as two groups of revelers crossed paths.
Mayor of Miami Beach Dan Gelber wants to cancel Spring Break: ‘We haven’t asked for spring break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, brings too much disorder and is simply too difficult to police,’ he said after a violent weekend
The chaotic weekend saw two men shot dead including this horrific moment Dontavious Polk allegedly shot a man point blank on Ocean Drive early Sunday morning
Dontavious Polk was arrested for the fatal shooting later on Sunday and charged with first-degree murder and held overnight, according to an arrest report.
He was arrested after being chased and detained, with police allegedly recovering two weapons.
At least 70 guns have been confiscated in Miami Beach in the past three weeks.
Police said Polk was walking with three other men when he slowly approached the victim, removed a firearm from his waistline and fired at him several times.
The victim immediately fell to the ground and later died after being rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Officials immediately instituted a curfew that began at midnight Monday and ran through 6am Monday morning. The same curfew will likely go into effect on Thursday night and last through the weekend.
Miami residents and business owners complained that this is the fourth year in a row they are battling curfews and rowdy-beyond-control crowds.
‘The Miami Beach brand has been damaged beyond recognition for the last decade,’ Mitch Novick, a local hotel owner, told the Fox & Friends hosts Monday morning.
‘As someone who’s been in the hotel business for over 30 years, my guests, who I’ve known the generations of their family, have told me in recent years they’re no longer coming back here.
‘They’re going to seek out alternative vacation destinations, but I’m optimistic that things will change,’ he said.
Mayor Gelber issued a statement in response to the violent weekend saying rising crowd numbers had left police overpowered.
‘The volume of people in our city, the unruly nature of too many, and the presence of guns has created a peril that cannot go unchecked,’ he said.
‘It is clear that even an unprecedented police presence could not prevent these incidents from occurring.
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‘While most may come here to enjoy the amenities of Miami Beach, the overwhelming volume of visitors, a few that come with bad intentions in the presence of guns creates a wholly intolerable situation.’
During a Monday morning appearance on America’s Newsroom, Gelber said that his residential city is not equipped to handle ‘young, rambunctious partygoers looking for a rite of passage.’
‘It doesn’t work for us,’ he said. ‘We cannot balance public safety with business.’
Novick said it’s been the same old song and dance from Gelber as in recent years.
Polk was arrested Sunday and held overnight on first degree murder charges for allegedly shooting a victim at point blank range on Ocean Drive
Partyers were not deterred by the first fatal shooting on Friday night and kept the party going Saturday night and into Sunday morning, when another fatal shooting occurred
The bloody weekend prompted city officials to call a curfew that began at midnight on Monday and lasted until 6am
Crowds walk up and down Ocean Drive at night on Saturday March 18, 2023 during Spring Break in Miami Beach
In previous years, the mayor has also instituted a curfew in addition to banning certain types of alcohol sales
‘He’s been saying the same thing for since he’s been in office,’ he said. ‘I believe him, but he’s been ineffective in making any changes, and a lot of it has to do with campaign donations.’
‘His colleagues and himself have taken so much money from the nightlife industry, which again, is the reason why nothing has changed.
‘Why does the city continue to provide a carnival-like circus on the street with multiple stages blasting music?
‘The city embraces this spring break atmosphere, and I’ve been appearing before the mayor and commission for about a decade now, telling them not to throw millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars at the police, but to address the incompatible and problematic open air entertainment zoning that is found along Ocean Drive that just a handful of businesses exploit with their own blasting music and dance performances on the public right of way,’ he said.
Video footage of the weekend revelry shows members of rowdy crowds pounding and jumping on cars that are attempting to drive through Ocean Drive.
Police presences appeared overwhelmed by the sheer number of out-of-control partyers, who seemed to be looking for a fight.
Separate footage showed scantily clad women and several men trashing a local slushie shop on the main street by the beach, as the lone shop employee begged them to stop.
Last year, Miami Beach banned some nighttime alcohol sales in South Beach for three straight nights as an emergency measure, in addition to instituting a curfew.
The ban applied to sales of alcohol for ‘off-premises consumption’ at businesses like liquor stores and drugstores after 6pm.
