Photos show the party's over in Miami Beach as Spring Break crackdown sends visitors elsewhere

In the last few year, local officials have been hitting a breaking point over big crowds and hard-partying from outside visitors.

Part of the issue is the city is trying to move away from its entertainment roots and more toward becoming a cultural district, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a Democrat, said in a recent opinion piece in the Miami Herald.

This year the city set up counter-programming, including more "family-friendly" events such as outdoor movie showings.

The City of Miami Beach declared a "state of emergency" after two shootings left five people wounded over Saint Patrick's Day weekend.

It instituted a midnight to 6 a.m. curfew until March 28, and applied the order to all of South Beach. The order also cut people off from buying alcohol at stores after 6 p.m.

Critics said the curfew was an overreaction intended to limit Black tourists from coming to Miami Beach.

Gelber pushed back against that accusation in his Miami Herald opinion piece, saying the curfew didn't happen until roughly a month into spring break.

"Our actions were in response to only that behavior and obvious peril, and absolutely nothing else," he wrote.

Ocean Drive, in the city's Art Deco district, is one of the major hot spots for spring breakers. But the crowds had largely dissipated even before the curfew took effect.

Adonis R., a manager at the Hotel Victor, said that two weeks earlier the streets had been far more crowded with people dancing in the streets and climbing on top of cars.

He has worked in Miami Beach for 10 years, he said, adding that the partying has gotten more heated in recent years — probably because of pent-up demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, he and others worried about what the curfew would do to hospitality workers.

"The big money is at night," he said.

It was the first visit to Miami Beach for Nate P., who asked Insider to identify him only by the first initial of his last name.

Nate, who was visiting from Louisville, Kentucky, found out about the curfew when he got to Miami. On Friday night he took a yacht out of downtown instead of staying on the beach. He said Saturday that he wasn't sure what he'd do after the curfew.

"I'm old so I don't need to be out too late," said Nate, 43. He said the curfew "sucked" but that he understood that some measures had to be taken to keep the beach safe.

Naya, a Miami local who asked not to share her last name, said Saturday was way more quiet and less crowded than usual — even compared to a weekend that didn't fall over spring break.

She and her friends hadn't expected the curfew and didn't know why it was happening.

"I guess people are on spring break but this is my home," she said. She and her friends said they were considering going to Wynwood, an artsy part of Miami with numerous bars and clubs.

Mike Lowrey, 22, said he was unhappy about the curfew. He was visiting Miami Beach from Cincinnati for the second time. He and his friends decided to keep the party going in Fort Lauderdale, which is about a 30-minute drive away.

"They need to stop it," he said. "People are just trying to have fun."

John, 25, who was visiting from Washington, DC, said he and his friends were figuring out where to head next. He did not want to share his last name to protect his privacy.

"Miami Beach is dead," he told Insider.

Alex Barcenas, manager at the Cardozo Hotel, told Insider that the curfew was hard on businesses who lost out on late-night customers.

The Cardozo has a restaurant with outdoor seating, but customers were asking to be seated inside even though the weather was pleasant, Barcenas said.

She said diners heard the phrase "state of emergency" and were afraid for their safety.

Some businesses have pushed back: Papi Steak restaurant and Treehouse nightclub sued to overturn the curfew but a judge upheld it on Friday.

But the city's mayor said the curfew was "justified."

"We can't balance lost revenue or, frankly, anything against our obligation to keep people safe," he wrote in his Miami Herald piece.

Throughout the night, restaurant and bar staff were reminding spring breakers about the curfew, and few partiers were still around by midnight.

The Ultra Music Festival was happening just a few miles away in downtown Miami and was reportedly sold out.

Insider didn't witness any arrests, and officers were largely standing off to the side by the end of the night. A few people were still sitting outside around 12:30 p.m. but restaurants and bars were closed.

A few people roamed the streets with their friends as they sought an Uber or decided where to go next, but Insider didn't witness anyone protesting the close of the evening. Ocean Drive quickly became quiet and deserted.