The city of Fort Lauderdale announced Wednesday its law enforcement plan for this spring break season, which includes tripling the amount of officers on patrol and beach sweeps with police mounted on horseback.
But city and public safety officials touted an open arms approach — a stark contrast to Miami Beach officials, who continue their efforts to tame spring break crowds by telling them to stay away.
“ This year we will welcome our spring breakers,” said Fort Lauderdale mayor Dean Trantalis. “We had a very successful year last year.”
Law enforcement officers will be patrolling the barrier islands as well as the Downtown entertainment district, which sees increased foot traffic at night. Each day, crews will conduct a beach cleanup at 5:30 p.m. Prohibited beach items include alcohol, coolers, tents and tables, amplified music and electric scooters and bikes.
READ MORE: Miami Beach imposes strict measures — again — to tame spring break crowds
Last year, Visit Lauderdale, the tourism marketing agency for Broward County recorded 2.67 million visitors for the month of March last year, which is an uptick from the 2.62 million they saw in 2023.
“ I'm in my 24th year of service and last year was definitely one of those years that I have not seen that many individuals with so few concerns or problems,” said Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz.
When Fort Lauderdale cracked down on rowdy spring break crowds in the 1990s, those crowds migrated to other parts of the state like Panama City and Daytona Beach, which saw their own issues as a result.
But despite Miami Beach's ongoing efforts to crack down on spring break crowds, Visit Lauderdale told WLRN they expect 20,000 less visitors this year.
Bar Watch and Narcan program
The city also highlighted its use of Circuit Services, a free rideshare service using electric vehicles that runs through the Downtown area. Through the entire month of March, the Circuit "Micro Mover" vehicles will be stationed at the corners of Las Olas Boulevard and A1A to move visitors out of the area. Riders will be dropped off near Las Olas and SE 15th avenue.
Officials announced they will again be instituting the "Bar Watch" program and an associated Narcan hand-out program that launched last year.
“ [Bar Watch is] a network of people including bar staff and our officers who know how to identify and quickly address any potentially troublesome situations that individuals may get into,” Schultz said.
Narcan is a nasal spray of Naloxone, a medicine used to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses. Fort Lauderdale Fire Chief Stephen Gollan said they’ll assess this year whether the Narcan program will need to expand or decrease availability.
Spring break restrictions went into effect Sunday and will last through April 12.
