Spring Break students have declared Fort Lauderdale as the ‘new Miami’ after a judge threw out a lawsuit filed by three South Beach nightclubs to lift the midnight curfew.
Thousands flocked to Florida beaches – with many drinking and some fighting in front of cops before passing out.
DailyMail.com witnessed revelers doing drugs, playing beer pong and cheering on fights between girls – who celebrated fending off their opposition by twerking in the middle of a baying crowd.
Three nightclubs – M2, Mynt Lounge, and Exchanged – lost their bid to have the curfew overturned, with Judge David C. Miller denying their request on Saturday.
The court battle comes after officials in Miami announced plans earlier this year to bring about tougher restrictions after two deadly shootings last year.
The tightening has resulted in the students ditching Ocean Drive for the seafront just twenty miles away in Fort Lauderdale – with the strip of bars welcoming the boom in business.
Spring Break students have officially declared Fort Lauderdale as the ‘new Miami’ after a judge threw out the lawsuit filed by three South Beach nightclubs to lift the midnight curfew
Thousands flocked to the beaches – with many drinking and some fighting in front of cops before passing out. Pictured: a man in St. Patrick day costume is seen on Ft Lauderdale Beach
DailyMail.com witnessed revelers smoking drugs, playing beer pong and cheering on fights between girls – who celebrated fending off their opposition by twerking in the middle of a baying crowd. Pictured: people clad in bright green bikini’s pose for pictures
Earlier on Friday this week, three nightclubs – M2, Mynt Lounge, and Exchanged – filed a complaint to have the curfew overturned, but Judge David C. Miller has since denied their request. Pictured: partygoers dance in a nightclub near Las Olas Beach in Ft. Lauderdale
Many offered 2-for-1 deals to entice students into the booming establishments in time for St Patrick’s Day as others plumped to down their own concoctions on the beach – with one group consuming what they described as ‘leprechaun juice’ for the Irish celebration.
Bikini-clad revelers donned bright green bikini’s as they soaked up the sunshine and posed for selfies with glittery hats and shamrock headbands before squealing as they dived into the crystal blue waters.
Mayor of Fort Lauderdale Dean Trantalis has welcomed the students with open arms, saying: ‘We want you to come back next year. We want you to come back in future years.’
University of Buffalo student Kaiya Washington, 22, told DailyMail.com that she headed for Fort Lauderdale because of the chaos and fatalities that had plagued Miami in previous years.
‘We’ve come for a week, last year we heard a lot about shootings in Miami and it generally being unsafe, so we came here,’ she said.
‘We’re so glad that we did, especially with the curfews and the cops being so strict in Miami – and we haven’t really heard of any shootings or much trouble here.’
Bikini-clad revelers donned bright green bikini’s as they soaked up the sunshine and posed for selfies with glittery hats and shamrock headbands before squealing as they dived into the crystal blue waters
Many offered 2-4-1 deals to entice students into the booming establishments in time for St. Patrick’s Day as others plumped to down their own concoctions on the beach – with one group consuming what they described as ‘leprechaun juice’ for the Irish celebration. Pictured: people sip their drinks on the beach
Students on spring break ditched Ocean Drive for the seafront just twenty miles away in Fort Lauderdale – with the strip of bars welcoming the boom in business. Pictured: spring breakers soak up the sunshine in Fort Lauderdale
Forty-five minutes south in Miami, curtailments put in include parking fees reaching $100 and early bar closures at 6pm to rein in the chaos.
Spring Break last year saw 488 arrests in Miami Beach, more than 230 of which were felony offenses, and more than 100 firearms were seized.
But now students are flocking Ft. Lauderdale’s Las Olas Beach, boozing and sparring in impromptu boxing matches which were dispersed by cops – after several waterfront bouts.
Despite a citywide ban on alcohol, coolers, tents, tables, or loud music on the beach, thousands of college students openly flouting the rules as police watched on.
Many vehicles were pulled over by cops who set up a DUI checkpoint along the seafront, with those playing loud music and revving engines also spoken to.
Officers made only nine arrests between March 4 and March 9, with only two being related to spring breakers, as students praised officers for their laid-back attitude. Figures for this weekend are not yet available.
One reveler joked to DailyMail.com that if you had marijuana the cops would leave you alone – but cocaine is where they drew the line.
Angelo Padla, 25, said: ‘We live where you vacation – we’re living the dream. We’re out here for St. Patrick’s Day. Spring Break is great, the cops are cool here and everyone is partying.’
Some students also bemoaned the extortionate prices of beachside bars – complaining that one margarita had cost them $30.
Anna Cole, 21, a University of Buffalo student added: ‘We thought about buying our own blended and making our own margaritas, because it’s so expensive, and everyone is generally bringing their own stuff.
‘It’s only day one for us, but it’s cold where we are, so were enjoying our time and we have a whole week left.’
A girl was thrown over her friend’s shoulder and carried home
One man seen by DailyMail.com was so drunk he collapsed on the sidewalk next to a trash can as his friend desperately tried to pull him up
Despite a citywide ban on alcohol, coolers, tents, tables, or loud music on the beach, thousands of college students openly flouting the rules as police watched on. Pictured: spring breakers posing for photos
Maiya, 21, who hails from Miami praised Fort Lauderdale for their wide selection of bars which allow students to buy a beverage and walk across to the beach.
She said: ‘Ocean Drive in Miami is upscale; you have to go in and sit down there to have a drink.
‘But the bars here seem more fun and accessible, there is also more tax in Miami, so it for sure feels better here.
‘No one is in Miami, there is a curfew, we tried to go and we were turned away. There are a lot of people but it’s not as bad as it was in Miami, its calmer here – less trouble.’
Students from Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Tennessee have flocked to the beaches – with Canadian colleges expected to travel to Florida next week.
Officials from South Florida’s Wellness Network were handing out free Narcan kits to partygoers, telling DailyMail.com that while they can’t stop students taking drugs, they can help keep them safe.
It is unclear how many overdoses there have been in the city, but those handing out the emergency nasal sprays estimated that there had been ‘over 50’, and the risks of taking cocaine laced with fentanyl were higher than ever.
Many students took advantage of the kits, with Washington adding: ‘It is something that we’re concerned about, but that’s what happens wherever you are.
A group of people wearing St. Patrick’s Day costumes and accessories celebrate in Ft. Lauderdale
Maiya, 21, who hails from Miami praised Fort Lauderdale for their wide selection of bars which allow students to buy a beverage and walk across to the beach. Pictured: people stop at bars near the beach
Officials from South Florida’s Wellness Network were handing out free Narcan kits to partygoers, telling DailyMail.com that while they can’t stop students taking drugs, they can help keep them safe. Pictured: officers talk to people under a Ft Lauderdale PD patio umbrella
‘The kits are great, were not from here so you try to be more cautious, but you also don’t take things from strangers, and you look out for your friends to make sure they’re safe.’
Alyssa, 21, a student in Miami, told DailyMail.com: ‘We think it’s amazing that they have those! I’ve never seen those in Ocean Drive and in Miami, everyone does every kind of drug and they would be good there.
‘People get roofied and you just never know what is in the drugs, they seem more prepared here which is good for us.
‘We all took the Narcan stuff, and we might not need to use it but it’s great to have it’.
A curfew has also been set up to clear the beach area at 5.30pm each day, with officers on horseback from Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Broward Sheriff’s department and Davie County asking everyone to leave the sandy shores.
But Fort Lauderdale PD has taken a different approach to many of their colleagues across Florida – by trying to recruit the college students.
One officer told DailyMail.com that in the weeks since the spring breakers came to town, they had 200 sign up, and set up a social media challenge to see if they can best their cops in a push up contest.
Many vehicles were pulled over by cops who set up a DUI checkpoint along the seafront, with those playing loud music and revving engines also spoken to
Police were also seen filming their own interactions with students, helping them put out towels and playing football with them before gently issuing warnings about drinking
One reveler joked to DailyMail.com that if you had marijuana the cops would leave you alone – but cocaine is where they drew the line. Pictured: officers talk to spring breakers on Ft Lauderdale Beach
Police were also seen filming their own interactions with students, helping them put out towels and playing football with them before gently issuing warnings about drinking.
Students spoken to by DailyMail.com said they planned to continue the party for the rest of the week – with some openly smoking weed in full view of the police.
Others opted for drinking games, with several seen playing beer pong, downing booze and swigging from bottles of tequila and whiskey.
Many were underage but had tried to hide their alcoholic beverages in unlabeled containers or pouring measures into red solo cups.
One told DailyMail.com that they came to ‘let of steam’ and ‘drink until it was out of their system’ – with others bragging they came down simply to pick up women.
David Gonzales, who attends the University of Florida, told DailyMail.com: ‘We’re just here to have a good time.’
One underage student bragged: ‘We’re here to chill and drink, we’re going to go out and drink and dance – there isn’t really much of a curfew and it’s a great time with the liquor.
‘The bars are fun, they’re crowded and even if you’re sober they’re so much fun’.
Many of the students were so intoxicated by 4pm that they were being helped off the sand by their friends after vomiting in a bin – with one girl throwing up on herself.
One man seen by DailyMail.com was so drunk he collapsed on the sidewalk next to a trash can as his friend desperately tried to pull him up, as a girl was thrown over her friend’s shoulder and carried home.
Students spoken to by DailyMail.com said they planned to continue the party for the rest of the week – with some openly smoking weed in full view of the police. Pictured: students on the beach with large bottles labeled ‘taste the rainborg’
Students are flocking Ft. Lauderdale’s Las Olas Beach, boozing and sparring in impromptu boxing matches. Pictured: girls clad in bikini’s pose for photos
Excluding Fort Lauderdale, cities on the coast of Florida appear to have fallen out of favor with spring breakers after Miami announced that they were ‘breaking up’ with the tradition.
College students have been flocking to Las Vegas, Punta Cana, Mexico, Nashville and South Padre Island in Texas instead.
Last year, the former Miami Beach Mayor said he wanted to cancel Spring Break after fatal chaos broke out on more than one occasion. A midnight curfew went into place following two deadly shootings.
This year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that he and his state level employees are ‘ready to help our local communities maintain order’.
He’s ordered 140 state troopers out to various hotspots and added that he is willing to send additional backup if necessary. ‘We don’t welcome mayhem,’ he said.
‘The state has a lot going on, it’s a fun place to be at and we want to see people do that, but we also are going to insist that people respect the law.
‘Florida may be popular for Spring Break, but it is inhospitable to criminal activity.’