Skift Take

Don't go to Miami Beach for Spring Break — that was the message in a new bold anti-tourism video from the city government.

Justin Dawes

Miami Beach has long been a primary destination for college students on Spring Break. Each March, rowdy crowds descend upon the beach destination to make it their playground for a week, perhaps forgetting that not everyone there is on vacation. 

The city has had enough. The City of Miami Beach released a video this week saying it’s “breaking up” with Spring Breakers. 

The video has gotten tens of millions of views between social media pages, including more than 15 million views on the X account of Pop Crave. 

“You just want to get drunk in public and ignore laws,” said one actor in the video. 

The video also referenced a shooting from Spring Break 2023 that killed one person and injured another. “That was our breaking point, so we’re breaking up with you,” said another actor in the video.

With many cities around the world working to promote tourism, it’s uncommon to see such a bold anti-tourism campaign.

Spokespeople for the Great Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association also did not immediately respond.

Spring Break Rules

The video was released on a webpage on the city’s website, which outlines regular laws it says will be enforced along with a slew of special rules for March. 

In large font directly below the video on the webpage: “Expect curfews, security searches and bag checks at beach access points, early beach entrance closures, DUI checkpoints, bumper-to-bumper traffic, road closures and arrests for drug possession and violence.”

Many short-term rentals are illegal, and landlords can be fined $1,000 per day for the first offense.

Rules that will be enforced during certain dates in March:

  • A flat rate of $30 for parking garages in the entertainment district for non-residents 
  • One parking garage will have a flat rate of $100 for non-residents
  • All parking garages in South Beach and all surface lots south of 42nd Street will be closed
  • Enhanced parking enforcement and increased towing, focusing first on residential areas
  • “The nonresident towing rate will be $516 — double the normal rate — plus a $30 administrative fee.”
  • Liquor stores must close at 8 p.m.
  • No golf carts, mopeds, electric scooters, or other low-speed motorized vehicles.
  • No beach sidewalk seating 
  • Goodwill workers wearing pink t-shirts that say, “Take Care of Our City,” will be deployed around the entertainment district to answer questions

Public Response

There were a lot of reactions on social media, some praising the video and others mocking it.

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Justin Dawes, Skift

March 6th, 2024 at 2:52 PM EST

Tags: miami beach, spring break

Photo credit: Miami Beach released an anti-tourism video directed at Spring Breakers. Pictured: An actor from the video saying, "You just want to get drunk in public and ignore laws." City of Miami Beach

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