Miami Beach rejects nightly curfew after 2 fatal shootings during spring break
By Jamiel Lynch, CNN
The Miami Beach City Commission voted Monday to not set a curfew for this upcoming weekend, but the panel did pass a measure ordering liquor stores to close early after two deadly shootings riled the popular Florida spring break location.
During a special meeting in the wake of the fatal shootings, some commissioners argued the third weekend of spring break — which just passed — is typically the time period that sees violence. Two commissioners argued it would be unfair to punish future crowds for what happened last weekend.
The move comes as the area is set to host the popular Ultra Music Festival, which is set to bring tens of thousands of electronic music fans to Bayfront Park, according to the Greater Miami convention bureau.
Four commissioners, a majority, voted no on the proposal. Six of the panel’s seven members voted in favor of forcing liquor stores to close at 6 p.m. ET.
The city manager still has the authority to make any emergency curfews if needed, the commissioners said. The city had enacted a curfew that began Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and ended Monday at 6 a.m. after the shootings and police being met with large, unruly crowds.
The Ultra Music Festival is set to take place this weekend. Tickets for the three-day event start at $299.95, according to the event website.
Weapons are not allowed, according to the prohibited items list, and people attending the festival will be subject to search before entering.
“By requesting entry into the event, all festivalgoers and attendees shall be subject to a thorough TSA-style pat down search, including emptying pockets and bags, and having your items examined,” the event website says.
Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez said, “Ultra weekend is not the problem. The problem is weekend number three.”
On Friday, violence broke out in the popular South Beach area amid both St. Patrick’s Day festivities and spring break celebrations, leaving one person dead and another injured, according to authorities. Four guns were recovered, police said.
In addition, one person was fatally shot and another injured early Sunday morning, according to a tweet from the Miami Beach Police Department.
The shooting happened near 11th Street and Ocean Drive, police said. A man who was wounded was taken to a hospital where he died. A second victim was treated at the scene and didn’t need to be hospitalized.
Last year, the City of Miami Beach similarly imposed a midnight curfew after two Spring Break shootings. The nightly curfew ran from 12:01 a.m. ET Thursday and expired Monday morning at 6 a.m. ET. It also closed liquor stores at 6 p.m. ET.
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CNN’s Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
