MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The Memorial Day celebration is already ongoing in South Beach. For some, it means the return of the Hyundai Air and Sea Show off Ocean Drive starting Friday. For others, it means partying with friends.
Sometimes it can get wild. Rowdy crowds dance on cars. Reckless drivers do donuts on the street, or there are fights or shootings. City leaders and police officers want to avoid the chaos.
License plate readers were deployed Thursday night on both MacArthur and Julia Tuttle causeways and security personnel started blocking residential areas off to through traffic.
Officers from other jurisdictions around South Florida will be on hand Friday.
“So many people are anxious to get out,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said on Wednesday. “They’re coming here in droves. And too many of them are coming with the intention to act out.”
Already on Wednesday, Zacoree Hopkins, a 21-year-old pregnant woman from Missouri, was arrested for allegedly shooting another woman.
There won’t be a curfew. For more information on the city’s Memorial Day rules and changes, visit this page.
AFTERNOON REPORT