logo
Miami Beach mayor says no to getting back together year after breaking up with spring breakers

Miami Beach mayor says no to getting back together year after breaking up with spring breakers

CBS News02-03-2025

Miami Beach broke up with spring break last year and city leaders still aren't interested in couples counseling.
Officials recently announced they were bringing back enhanced security measures for practically the entire month of March, including parking restrictions and increased fees for nonresidents.
The new rules were introduced last year after three consecutive years of spring break violence. The city is again warning visitors to expect curfews, bag searches at the beach, early beach closures, DUI checkpoints and arrests for drug possession and violence.
"Last year's spring break was a success on any level you measure it," Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said. "We had zero fatalities, zero shootings, zero stampedes. The majority of our businesses did very well and actually thanked us for the measures we took."
Most spring break activity centers around a 10-block stretch of Ocean Drive known for its Art Deco hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. Before spring break last year, city officials launched a marketing campaign that said, "Miami Beach Is Breaking Up With Spring Break." A video featured residents " breaking up" with spring breakers and warning them to expect restrictions if they decided to come anyway.
This year, officials followed up with a "Reality Check" video featuring a group of young people on a fictitious reality show having their spring break ruined by the city's enhanced rules.
"We broke up a spring break," Meiner said. "Some people ask, are you getting back together? No, we're done."
City leaders want visitors to come and enjoy the beaches, hotels and restaurants, as long as they behave, Meiner said, noting that overall hotel occupancy actually increased in 2024 over 2023.
"And that's because when you walked around Ocean Drive and South Beach, you felt welcoming, you felt safe," Meiner said.
Other Florida cities struggle with spring break crowds
Miami Beach isn't the only Florida city bracing for spring breakers this year. Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Tampa are among the top 10 domestic spring break destinations, according to AAA booking data.
Following a particularly rowdy Presidents' Day weekend in Daytona Beach, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood recently announced plans to crack down on bad behavior from spring breakers.
"They don't bring any financial benefit," Chitwood said. "All they do is bring chaos, and if they want to bring chaos, I am going to bring chaos in return."
Businesses have mixed reactions
Some Miami Beach business owners see the restrictions as necessary to ensure public safety, while others are concerned that driving away spring breakers could irreparably damage Miami Beach's status as an iconic tourist destination.
Louis Taic, owner of the Z Ocean Hotel, said he welcomes visitors to Miami Beach any time of the year, but he understands why city officials have taken to actions that they have.
"What we don't like is people that take advantage of Miami Beach, that take advantage by doing things here that they would never do at home," Taic said.
David Wallack, owner of Mango's Tropical Cafe, said Miami Beach has thrived as an entertainment destination for nearly a century, even through Prohibition and the Great Depression.
Instead of trying to scare people away, city officials need to organize events such as concerts, art festivals and sporting events to attract people who will spend money, Wallack said.
"Miami Beach is magical, but you've got to still give customers what they want," Wallack said.
Are restrictions linked to race?
Some civil rights advocates believe the restrictions are racially motivated.
South Beach became popular among Black tourists about two decades ago as promoters organized Urban Beach Week during the Memorial Day weekend. Many locals have complained about violence and other crime associated with the event, which led to an increased police presence. But the event's continued popularity correlates to a bump in Black tourism throughout the year.
Stephen Hunter Johnson, an attorney and member of Miami-Dade's Black Affairs Advisory Board, said city leaders are using a brief spike in violence as an excuse to discourage Black visitors.
Most of the problems experienced by Miami Beach in recent years began during the pandemic, when Florida remained open while other popular tourist destinations around the U.S. were locked down, and officials are unfairly crediting the new spring break restrictions with decreasing violence last year, Johnson said.
"Arrests were down, and no one was shot," Johnson said. "Those things were going to occur anyway because the farther we get away from COVID restrictions, the more normalized things are."
Meiner has repeatedly rejected the notion that the restrictions are racially motivated. He always hates the idea of anyone getting injured, but as an elected official, he feels an additional sense of responsibility when people are shot and killed in the city he serves, he said.
"We are going to keep people safe," Meiner said. "Law and order is the number one priority in our city. There is no compromising on that."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Le Chêne Is the West Village's Next High-End Date-Night Destination
Le Chêne Is the West Village's Next High-End Date-Night Destination

Eater

time6 hours ago

  • Eater

Le Chêne Is the West Village's Next High-End Date-Night Destination

Le Chêne transports diners into a wonderland of contemporary Parisian dining. Having opened on Carmine Street last month, it comes from Alexia Duchêne, a 29-year-old Paris-born chef who burst onto the French culinary scene by reaching the semifinals of that country's version of Top Chef at the tender age of 23. Her experience includes having worked in Passerini and Taillevent in Paris, Frenchie in London, and Margot in Brooklyn, where she was the opening chef. Her husband, Ronan Duchêne Le May, a former Cafe Boulud maître d', runs the front of the house. What the duo has achieved here is impressive: The art-filled, 50-seat space is intimate yet lively, and the food and drinks are revelatory. Le Chêne is still in its infancy, but it seems already to be on its way to becoming Manhattan's next destination restaurant. The vibe: Upon passing through the yellow door, my dining companion and I are greeted by the host in front of the small, semi-circular bar, and then whisked past a display of orchids and into the cozy dining room designed by Fred Interiors. Jazzy French pop music is playing at a comfortable volume on the stereo, and at 5:30 p.m. on a sunny Thursday. We're seated by the window, my companion on the side with the red banquette. On the windowsill behind her aligns a collection of empty bottles that once contained expensive French wines. On the walls, there are Art Deco sconces and Basquiat and Warhol lithographs. The art is courtesy of Christophe Van de Weghe, an investor in the restaurant and the owner of the Van de Weghe gallery on the Upper East Side. Art extends to the menus, which are decorated with watercolor-style drawings of snap peas and radishes. The food: The cuisine is somewhat lighter than at, say, La Veau d'Or, and it's served a la carte, but beware: If you fail to restrain yourself when ordering, it's easy to leave here with your stomach as full and your wallet as empty as if you'd done a full-scale tasting menu. First up is a plate of complimentary fresh bread from Yann Ledoux's Bread Story, served with a smear of fragrant butter redolent of marjoram, honey, and sea salt. The menu starts with a selection of amuse-bouches, all of which are served by the individual piece except for the shareable green bean beignets ($18). Those beans are fried in a light tempura butter and come with a coupe of creamy tarragon sauce. I also ordered a piece of uni French toast ($25), a finger of grilled brioche generously topped with Japanese uni, drips of bone marrow, and a lightly roasted pepper sauce. For a party of two, I would recommend ordering two appetizers.. Duchéne's take on the bistro classic mayonnaise ($25) playfully evokes a tuna melt. The soft-boiled eggs are accompanied by bits of tuna tartare, cornichons, and a light mayo that shines bright green thanks to an emulsion of parsley, topped with thinly sliced toast crusted with Mimolette cheese. A brick of decadent foie gras($28) is mortared with strips of wagyu beef tongue and comes with two thick pieces of toasted brioche and a scoop of sea buckthorn rich crab thermidor ($41), a show-stopper served in a crab back, is pleasantly pungent with vadouvan. The one dish we found a tad underwhelming was the yellowtail crudo ($27) with pine nuts, candied raisins, and walnut sauce; the flavors didn't sing as they did in other dishes. For entrees, there was one seafood (halibut with scallop quenelle) and one meat option (lamb saddle), along with a couple of steak specials, including a massive côte de boeuf. It's hard to resist something marked in bold as the 'spécialité de la maison,' so we ordered the pithivier terre y mer. As the name indicates, Duchéne puts a surf-and-turf spin on the traditional puff pastry, stuffing it with slices of potatoes gratin, a hefty curl of pork farce, and fillets of smoked eel; it's served with a small wedge cut out of it — as if a Disney character in the kitchen had cut a little slice and taken the rest to plate it — and garnished with a crown of lettuce leaves and a dollop of beetroot ketchup. Dessert ranged from a chocolate tart and a blanc manger to a rhubarb sorbet. My companion opted for the sorbet, while I ordered a Trou Normand — a scoop of apple and dill sorbet with Calvados poured over it — from the dessert cocktails list. Duchêne came out of the kitchen to do the honors of pouring the Calvados herself. The service: The front-of-house staff, many of whom have French accents, are high-touch and friendly, with nary a hint of stuffiness. When my companion ordered an off-menu cocktail, the bartender came over personally to ask her for more details. Tips: Le Chêne is booked out weeks in advance on Resy, but the restaurant has been releasing a few additional tables each day. Check in the morning, and you should have a shot at getting a day-of reservation. And there's a decent chance of snagging a bar seat if you get there before 7 p.m. Once you're inside, take a look at the wine list, which is expansive (44 pages) and features gems such as a 1959 Château Haut-Brion. If you're going by the glass — if, say, your companion really likes martinis, or you don't want to spend four figures on a Bordeaux that's older than you are — don't hesitate to talk to the sommelier, who sets aside a few interesting off-list things for by-the-glass pours. I had a Domaine Jérôme Forneret white Burgundy ($37) from the Côte d'Or village of Saint-Aubin, an elegant, mineral wine that paired beautifully with the crab thermidor. I'll be dreaming about that combination for weeks to come. See More: NYC Restaurant News Scene Report

Baltic Animation Still in Full ‘Flow': ‘Smallness Can Be a Superpower'
Baltic Animation Still in Full ‘Flow': ‘Smallness Can Be a Superpower'

Yahoo

time10 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Baltic Animation Still in Full ‘Flow': ‘Smallness Can Be a Superpower'

Oscar-winning 'Flow' by Latvia's Gints Zilbalodis brought Baltic animation to new heights. Now, local creators are figuring out how to benefit from the aftermath of its success. 'Sometimes, big fate blesses small culture. But whether a single achievement can be used to make conclusions about the entire field, that will only become clear over time,' says Peep Pedmanson, Estonian Film Institute Animation Film Commissioner. More from Variety Ubisoft, Netflix Share Early Look at 'Splinter Cell: Deathwatch' in Annecy's First Work-in-Progress Session of 2025 Echoes of Childhood Lost: 'Allah Is Not Obliged' Brings Potent Animated Recollection of Liberian Wars 'Not Just Participating, Designing the Future': Manga Productions's CEO Essam Bukhary on the Saudi Studio's MIFA Debut 'There're those who follow trends and those who create them. Estonian animation belongs to the latter. When it emerged within the Soviet Union, it immediately moved away from the mainstream. The creators were too individualistic.' And yet, there's been something uniting them: a style that treats the audience 'not as a passive object, but as an equal partner.' 'There's that special 'something,' which seeps into us along with the mist of our forests and bogs. The Baltic countries are small, and Estonia is the smallest among them. In the swirling currents of global trends, holding onto our identity is harder for us than for larger cultures – but we work at it every day.' As argued by Aurelia Aasa, founder of AAA Creative, Baltic animation has already been a 'key player and trendsetter' on the international festival circuit for a while. 'Especially in the short form,' she says. 'Coming from small countries can make it harder to stand out. 'Sierra' remains the only Estonian film on the Criterion Channel. But smallness can be a superpower, allowing us to move quickly and bring fresh perspectives.' Oscar-shortlisted Estonian director Sander Joon will follow 'Sierra' with short 'Hair of Hare' about an architect whose beard escapes – as a hare. 'I've been inspired by hares, Pippi Longstocking and architecture. I'm chasing creative freedom and I'm so happy and humbled that it seems to shine through,' he teases. According to Kalev Tamm, producer at Eesti Joonisfilm – now bringing 'Luna Rossa' to Annecy – there's a growing interest among Estonian creators in making feature-length animated films, however, 'though the challenge lies in putting together the right financing models.' 'I wouldn't necessarily connect this to 'Flow,' as many of these projects were already in development, but it might reflect a broader shift in ambition and momentum within the field. Estonian animation has a strong auteur tradition, characterized by sharp, surreal tones and contemplative substance.' Marianne Ostrat is bringing 'Saima: Scenes from a Midlife Crisis' to Annecy's MIFA: the first animated feature by Chintis Lundgren (from Estonia) and Draško Ivezić. It's an 'incredibly interesting, inspiring, and hopeful' moment to produce and develop animated feature in Estonia and across all the Baltics, she notes. 'Over the past decade, several new indie studios have emerged, but we are all building on this profound, solid – yet also very fragile – foundation of tradition. I feel there's a lot more potential in Estonian and Baltic animation that hasn't been tapped into,' she says. 'We have creators with interesting and original visual styles. What we could use more of are animation producers, financing and projects, including service work, to keep the sector going, growing and glowing.' Kristel Tõldsepp of A Film Estonia adds: 'I believe Estonian animation industry is in a very good place. There are more and more animated films produced also in collaboration between Baltic studios and I hope this trend is increasing.' The company is developing 'Raggie – Friends Forever': a sequel to 2020 'Raggie.' 'After 5 years, 'Raggie' is still one of the most watched films on Estonian VOD platforms. It has been distributed worldwide and sold to about 60 countries,' she says. 'But there are limited resources, so if short film production does well, we can't produce more than one animated feature every two or three years – there's also no support for series production.' Rebel Frame's Kadriann Kibus agrees – these days, feature-length stories are no longer out of reach. 'Until now, short format has been prevalent in the Baltics, and better suited for the more abstract, obscure, non-narrative tradition of the Estonian animation.' Apart from 'Adult Bedtime Stories,' heading to Annecy's MIFA, Rebel Frame has two shorts in pre-production: oil painted animation 'Schrödinger' by Sergo Kibus and 2D animation 'Penguin' by Kaspar Jancis. 'Both of which will hopefully be co-produced with France.' 'Obviously, features can't be done without co-producing and having a wider international market in mind. The Baltics is just too small of a market to support and provide a big enough audience for a more ambitious feature-length animated film.' For Lithuania, also known for its shorts, co-productions have widened the field. Art Shot – founded by Agnė Adomėnė – has recently backed Polish epic 'The Peasants.' Children's character 'Nelly Jelly' – and its brand – is growing as well. 'Lithuania's animation industry is still quite young, but it's full of energy, ambition and talent,' underlines producer Simona Krasauskienė. 'At 'Nelly Jelly,' we've seen first-hand how strong local IP can resonate. Our 2D series and feature film performed exceptionally well across the Baltics, hitting #1 at the box-office above 'Super Mario Bros'. That kind of traction proves there's both creative talent and market power here.' What's still needed? 'Greater access to global funding, co-production pipelines, and training ecosystems to help our studios and creators operate on a competitive international scale. But we're on our way. Lithuania is ready to take its place in the global animation conversation.' Currently, the team is working with UK-based 3Megos to create 'stories grounded in childhood challenges, with a dash of magical messiness from Nelly Jelly's monster friends.' 'What makes this project and much of Lithuanian animation special is the blend of sincerity and surreal playfulness. We're not afraid of imperfection or emotion, and that comes through in tone and character design.' Latvian creators have been thinking big too, delivering the likes of 'My Favorite War' by Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen – presenting 'Roach Coach' at MIFA – or 'Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs' directed by Edmunds Jansons. Signe Baumane has been exploring personal and heartbreaking – and heartbreakingly funny – issues in 'Rocks in My Pockets,' 'My Love Affair with Marriage' and now in the upcoming third feature 'Karmic Knot,' a Latvian-US production voiced by Patrick Wilson and Matthew Modine. 'It will be my last personal film. Not because I ran out of personal stories, but because I want to try something else. But animation takes so long to make. Where will the world be by that time? Will I have funding, energy and mind to make something entirely new?' Making films independently and taking creative risks is never easy, she observes. 'A film with a new visual language rarely gets recognized in pre-production. Financiers often have the best intentions but cannot see further than what has already been made.' To Baumane, apart from its use of visual metaphors, nature themes and 'acknowledging darkness in the corners of our souls with light,' Baltic animation is 'not as homogeneous as one would think.' 'In Latvia, the success of animators has depended on each individual artist who stubbornly wanted to make their films, and on the increasing support of the National Film Centre of Latvia and Culture Capital Foundation. In the last few decades, they started to recognize the value of works produced by those stubborn individuals.' For Sniedze Kāle of Studija Kokles, this is a 'game-changing moment' for the Latvian film industry. 'Flow' has elevated the role of creatives in Latvian society. Not only by inspiring emerging filmmakers who now seriously aim to premiere their work at Cannes, but also by gaining broader recognition for the power of artistic voices.' 'Latvian state found a way to allocate an additional €1 million [$1.1 million] in animation support this year. Thanks to this, next projects by Gints Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža received increased production funding.' Latvia is gaining increased attention from distributors and sales agents, 'as each year brings a new and interesting animated feature to the international stage.' But Kāle still misses 'a sense of security needed to plan for the long-term future.' 'Our history has taught us that, as the closest point to a potential aggressor, we cannot afford to be at peace or rely on protection or justice from others. I'm grateful for every day when the biggest concern is that the Latvian Film Centre has only one co-production call per year, or that the available funding is so limited my application with an animation series or a feature project becomes almost unrealistic.' The studio is now focusing on its first feature 'The Northern Star': an 18th-century road movie for family audiences directed by Kārlis Vītols and inspired by Nikolaus von Himsel, who founded the first publicly accessible museum in the Baltics. 'As parents of three children, we often find ourselves missing high-quality content we can truly enjoy together. This film is our attempt to create just that: a shared cinematic experience that combines adventure with timeless values.' With public funding redirected towards defense, creators 'must prepare to operate with limited financial resources in the years ahead,' argue Lauma Kaudzite and Sabīne Andersone of Latvian Animation Association, listing 'increasingly unstable global landscape and the current geopolitical situation' as one of the biggest obstacles plaguing the industry. More features are still looming on the horizon, however. 'Latvia has been consistently producing a substantial number of feature-length auteur animations. This is quite unique in our region,' adds Andersone, at work on Edmunds Jansons' next film 'Born in the Jungle.' 'My hope is that it will build on this momentum and reach family audiences worldwide. It's a film with a lot of heart, and an important message about empathy and responsibility, which resonates across cultures.' With its tradition of hand-crafted animation and a will to experiment, Baltic animation has already made its mark. But many hope for long-term strategies to support industry growth – as well as stronger international partnerships. 'We are seeing growing recognition [towards Baltic animation], new creative voices and more cross-border collaborations. I'm happy that 'Born in the Jungle' can be part of this positive wave.' Inspired by the real story of an explorer's family who chose to live in the Venezuelan jungle in the late 1950s, it's co-produced by Atom Art (Latvia), Letko (Poland), and Hausboot (Czech Republic), with international sales handled by Dandelooo Cinéma and release set for 2026. In the meantime, two Latvian films will head to Annecy: short 'Cleanliness' by Andrejs Brīvulis and 'Thelma's Perfect Birthday' by Reinis Kalnaellis, the latter introducing a young penguin growing up in a world obsessed with perfection. 'We're experiencing a paradox,' admits Kalnaellis. 'On one hand, 'Flow' validates the artistic strength and potential of Baltic animation. We are not yet weighed down by industry standardization, and that's a powerful advantage. However, what's missing is strategic, inclusive infrastructure: long-term development programs, and meaningful dialogue between institutions and creators. Too many depend on fragmented or volunteer-driven production, which hinders sustainability.' But many are optimistic – and eager to benefit from the momentum. 'It's an exciting time. Zilbalodis shows what's possible for Baltic filmmakers: both in terms of storytelling craft and audience reach,' argues Oskar Lehemaa, who directed 'The Old Man Movie' with Mikk Mägi. 'I'm sure the film's success gave many a good jolt of motivation. Be it through jealousy, which is a very Estonian emotion, or just through sheer inspiration,' he jokes, while Grafik's Erik Heinsalu adds: 'It brought new attention to our region. It's also clear the spotlight won't last forever, so we need to act to make the most of it.' Baumane notes: 'We're not dead yet – everything is still ahead. Let's talk about 'the Baltic animation legacy' when it's all over!' Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week

WWE's First Crossover With AAA Locks Down 4.1M Viewers In 24 Hours As Company's First Full In-Ring YouTube Broadcast
WWE's First Crossover With AAA Locks Down 4.1M Viewers In 24 Hours As Company's First Full In-Ring YouTube Broadcast

Yahoo

time18 hours ago

  • Yahoo

WWE's First Crossover With AAA Locks Down 4.1M Viewers In 24 Hours As Company's First Full In-Ring YouTube Broadcast

The WWE set a new audience record with its first AAA crossover event since acquiring the leading Mexican lucha libre promotion in April. Worlds Collide drew the largest live audience on a YouTube broadcast in WWE history, per the company. Advertisement More from Deadline The average live viewership wasn't disclosed, though the company did say that the June 7 event at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles peaked at 764,389 live concurrent viewers across the WWE and WWE Espańol YouTube channels during the main event between El Hijo del Vikingo and Chad Gable. Additionally, Saturday's broadcast has raked in more than 4.1M viewers on YouTube in the first 24 hours. Worlds Collide marked the first full in-ring show that the WWE has streamed live on YouTube. The company's main channel boasts more than 109M subscribers, making it one of the most powerful on the platform. Advertisement This is a strong start for the collaboration between the WWE and AAA. It also illustrates the power of YouTube. YouTube consistently ranks as the top streamer in the U.S., far outpacing its competitors, including Netflix, in terms of monthly average usage time. It is also on pace to surpass even Disney's revenue by the end of the year to become the top global player in media, per one veteran Wall Street Analyst. The positive performance here potentially opens the door for more YouTube broadcasting opportunities within the WWE as it continues to expand its brand and leverage a vast array of properties from its main events to weekly offerings. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store