Gov. Ron DeSantis wants you to have a fun Spring Break — as long as you don’t actually break anything.
“We want people to have a good time, but we must maintain public order,” DeSantis said as he announced Florida is deploying extra resources across the state to crack down on out-of-control partying.
Twelve local agencies requested extra assistance, so the state will deploy more than 100 Florida State Troopers, DeSantis said at a press conference in Miami Beach in advance of the upcoming busy holiday.
“We owe it to the people that live here. We owe it to people that visit here to make sure that this is orderly and safe for everybody involved,” DeSantis said. “Once again, the state is providing resources that cities throughout our state need to ensure Spring Break does not descend into chaos and mayhem.”
The state has equipment ready on standby, including drones, planes, canine units and BearCat armored vehicles, DeSantis said.
Spring Break is big business for Florida, as visitors from up north travel to beaches and theme parks.
But in 2024, around 140 Florida State Troopers were out at DUI checkpoints, doing curfew and traffic enforcements and street patrol in cities across Florida. In Miami Beach alone, there were about 50 extra officers on hand. By the end of Spring Break, there were 36 felony arrests statewide — 16 of them in Miami Beach, DeSantis said Thursday. Last year, police also arrested 51 on misdemeanors and 11 DUI arrests in Florida.
“That’s a huge deterrent when people are being held accountable,” DeSantis said.
He added there was a decrease in businesses complaining about destruction or guests running out on their bills.
“I think most people you talked to, 2024 was the smoothest and most successful Spring Break we’ve had here in a long time,” he said.
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