The Mayor of Miami Beach is looking to cancel spring break after footage has emerged of the moment a man was shot dead on a sidewalk during another wild weekend of partying.
“We didn’t ask for spring break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, it’s too messy, and it’s just too hard to control,” said Democratic Mayor Dan Gelber.
During the chaotic weekend, two men were shot dead and partygoers jumped on a car, fought in the street and even vandalized a slushie shop on Main Street, despite the city’s Sunday night curfew.
Footage showed the horrific moment a man was shot dead, execution-style, on Ocean Drive early Sunday morning as two groups of revelers crossed paths.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber wants to cancel Spring Break: “We didn’t ask for Spring Break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, it’s too messy and just too hard to control,” he said after a violent weekend
Two men were shot dead over the chaotic weekend, including this horrific moment. Dontavious Polk allegedly shot and killed a man at close range on Ocean Drive early Sunday morning
Dontavious Polk was arrested later Sunday in the fatal shooting and charged with first-degree murder and being held overnight, according to an arrest report.
He was arrested after being hunted down and detained, with police allegedly seizing two guns.
At least 70 firearms have been seized 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 waist and shot him multiple times.
The victim immediately fell to the ground and later died after being rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Officials immediately imposed a curfew that began at midnight Monday and ran until 6 a.m. Monday morning. The same curfew is likely to come into effect Thursday evening and last through the weekend.
Miami residents and business owners complained that this is the fourth straight year they’ve been battling lockdowns and runaway crowds.
“The Miami Beach brand has been damaged beyond recognition over the past decade,” Mitch Novick, a local hotel owner, told hosts Fox & Friends Monday morning.
“As someone who has been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, my guests, who I have known for generations, have been telling me in recent years that they no longer come here.
“They will be looking for alternative holiday destinations, but I’m optimistic things will change,” he said.
Mayor Gelber issued a statement in response to the violent weekend, saying rising crowds had overwhelmed police.
“The amount of people in our city, the unruly nature of too many, and the presence of guns have created a threat that cannot go unchecked,” he said.
“It is clear that even an unprecedented police presence could not prevent these incidents.
“While most come here to enjoy the amenities of Miami Beach, the overwhelming number of visitors, a few who come with bad intentions in the presence of guns, creates a completely intolerable situation.”
Novick said it was the same old song and dance by Gelber as in previous 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
Undeterred by the first fatal shooting on Friday night, partygoers kept the party going Saturday night and into Sunday morning when another fatal shooting occurred
The bloody weekend prompted city officials to impose a curfew that began at midnight Monday and lasted until 6 a.m
Crowds walk up and down Ocean Drive at night on Saturday, March 18, 2023 during spring break in Miami Beach
Tour of the Miami Design Preservation League waits as firefighters hose the blood off the Ocean Drive sidewalk from the deadly spring break shooting near 11th Street this morning #BecauseMiami 🎥Mitch Novick pic.twitter.com/RZYTVHrjs3
—Because Miami (@BecauseMiami) March 19, 2023
“He’s been saying the same thing since he took office,” he said. “I believe him, but he hasn’t made any changes and a lot of it has to do with campaign contributions.”
“His colleagues and himself took so much money out of nightlife, which in turn is the reason nothing has changed.
“Why does the city continue to offer a carnival-like circus on the street with multiple stages playing music?
“The city welcomes this spring-break atmosphere, and I’ve been standing up before the mayor and the commission for about a decade now, telling them not to throw millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to the police, but to deal with the inconsistent and problematic open.” Air are dealing with entertainment zoning along Ocean Drive that only a handful of companies take advantage of with their own music and dance performances on the public driveway,” he said.