MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Crowds are steadily increasing by the day as Spring Break visitors flock to Miami Beach.
“The flight was $73 dollars round trip, so we booked it,” said Lauren Fischer, who is visiting from Chicago.
Peak Spring Break season has arrived and city leaders have organized their most aggressive efforts yet to curb bad behavior, but some business owners believe it’s at their expense.
One Miami Beach shop that rents electric segues, bikes and scooters is being forced to shut its doors during high impact weekends because of the new city approved measures that will also spike parking and tow fees into the hundreds of dollars.
“The most busy season for us is like the first months of the year,” said Isaac Padilla with 305 Tours and Rentals. “We need to make money. All of us, all the people need to make money, and the most season for us is like these months.”
The story is the same at similar businesses in Miami Beach.
Another owner of a scooter shop told Local 10 News’ Terrell Forney that in years past, he’s been able to make enough cash to survive the year during Spring Break, but now the closures will impact the bottom line, big time.
Restaurants with sidewalk cafes along famed Ocean Drive will also have to suspend that portion of their operation.
Curfews and street closures are on tap if and when needed, but some businesses are looking forward to the influx of tourists.
The Baked Bear custom ice cream sandwich shop has been preparing for spring breakers for quite some time.
“We’re definitely expecting a lot of crowds this week and next weekend for sure,” said Trevin Revell with the Baked Bear. “We stocked up on supplies and some more team members to help us out for the weekend.”