SPRING Break and St. Patrick’s Day in the Florida sun is one of the ultimate party combos. This time last year, The U.S Sun went into the heart of the madness along Fort Lauderdale’s golden sands and discovered organized beach brawls, fueled by booze and the searing heat.
Hordes of revelers celebrating Spring Break let loose in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach despite a crackdown on partiers by city officialsCredit: AJ Skuy for The US Sun.
Witnesses told The U.S. Sun that people were partying so hard they sometimes would pass out before nightfall or need to be hospitalizedCredit: AJ Skuy for The US Sun.
The partying picked up all day on St. Patrick’s Day, with many beachgoers dressed in green for the dayCredit: AJ Skuy for The US Sun
Visitors from across the country descended on the beaches for the weekCredit: AJ Skuy for The US Sun
Yet with Miami cops effectively canceling any Spring Break parties this year following a spate of violence and mayhem, there were fears the fun would be diluted 30 miles north of the magic city.
There was less of a raucous atmosphere in Fort Lauderdale, but that’s not to say there was no fun to be had.
Lexi Lotus, 28, a bartender from downtown, sat down by the ocean tempting revelers to carry on the fun long into the night this week.
The problem was that too many partygoers had already had far too much to keep going once the sun went down, she said.
“I have seen complete mayhem, from kids’ unconscious on the ground, whether it be from drink or drugs, they have been in a stretcher and taken into an ambulance, totally unresponsive,” Lexi, who’s been at the beach every day during Spring Break, told The U.S Sun.
“They don’t pace themselves, they don’t even make it to the nightlife. They don’t drink water and party too much,” she said.
“It’s crazy, I am not from here but have spent the last three years here and the last two have been a lot busier than this one. Still a lot of craziness though.”
THE PARTY GOES ON
While a strict 12 am curfew is in place in Miami, there has still been plenty of fun on offer.
Anthony Santori, looking resplendent in head-to-toe Irish colors, made the journey from Philadelphia to Florida in search of fun and games.
“It’s been amazing,” he said.
Spring Break revelers pound drinks on beach & launch wrestling battles in first raucous weekend despite crackdown effort
“The atmosphere here has been great and even in Miami, on Saturday night it was wild, curfew or not.”
POLICE HELP CONTROL THE CHAOS
Local police who spoke to The U.S. Sun about marshaling the situation spoke with a sense of relief that events haven’t gotten out of hand.
At 5.30 pm, the cops, some on horseback, cleared the entire beach for “clean up,” with resellers forced into the welcome arms of the bars which were really getting packed as the party continued once the sun went down.
Miami’s ‘break-up’ with Spring Break
On March 1, the city of Miami posted an announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter) with the caption, “Hey Spring Break, we’re over.”
Actors revealed the new rules that will affect those who plan to party in Miami over the next month in the theme of a break-up.
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“This march you can expect things like curfews, bag checks, restricted beach access, DUI checkpoints, $100 parking, and strong police enforcement for drug possession and violence,” the ad promised.
The new rules are set to go into effect every Thursday through Sunday in March, according to the city’s website.
Read more about Miami’s ‘break-up’ with Spring Break:
They acknowledged the beach was “much quieter” than in recent years and were hopeful everyone would behave as the night drew in.
“I think the crackdown in Miami has definitely affected things,” added Lexi.
“Perhaps people who had planned to come from south Florida thought twice, [with] Miami charging $100 for parking, they canceled Spring Break and that turned people off.”
“But here in Fort Lauderdale, we welcome people with open arms. The turnout here this year hasn’t been what we expected but it’s still been fun, it’s a beautiful place, and people from all over the country come here,” she said.
Cops were patrolling the beach but had time to orchestrate a push-up challenge next to a recruitment booth which appeared to enjoy plenty of traffic.
“I’m sure the police must hate it,” added Lexi.
“They are probably walking around dreading this, but they have been cool, they have a tough job, dealing with a lot of kids who are reckless, having fights and all that.”
FUN FOR EVERYONE
Salesman Andrew Catti from Melbourne, Florida, took advantage of the opportunity to make a few bucks and sell some pink cowboy hats – with every sale accompanied by a free packet of condoms.
A slice of the sales was also going to the Make a Wish charity and the Red Cross, but Andrew wanted to make sure he was doing his bit to keep the world’s population down.
“It’s Spring Break so there could be a lot of babies conceived here,” he said.
“I haven’t seen any brawls break out, just a lot of college kids having the time of their lives. Partying and making memories — and if they can make more special memories wearing my hats, that’s awesome too!”
Florida Spring Breakers enjoy pink party hats in the sunCredit: AJ Skuy for The US Sun
Beachgoers were decked out in the best Irish look for St. Patrick’s DayCredit: AJ Skuy for The US Sun
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Some people passed out even before nightfall, witnesses told The U.S. SunCredit: AJ Skuy for The US Sun
South Florida beaches were packed with visitors despite an ad campaign telling people not to comeCredit: AJ Skuy for The US Sun.
