MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Even as sun, sand, sea, and south beach shopping are on the brain, whether on vacation or a South Florida local, the terror attack in New Orleans has many concerned.
“It is a scary thought,” said Britney Alberga, who is visiting Miami Beach. “I do see that there’s a lot of police around, and a lot security, so I’m not as scared. I’m grateful for that.”
More than a dozen people were killed and dozens more injured when a man in a pick-up truck plowed through a crowd of people celebrating New Year’s Eve on Bourbon Street.
The suspect was killed after a shootout with police. He’d reportedly driven onto to the sidewalk to get around a police car that was blocking the street. Lots of attention are now on the bollards, the posts designed to keep out traffic there.
ABC News reported the previous ones were ineffective, and were in the process of being replaced.
Closer to home, Miami Beach police said in places like Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive, officers are assessing what they call soft target spots.
“We do understand that a lot of people are afraid,” said Officer Chris Bess with the Miami Beach Police Department. “We already have an infrastructure of delineators and barriers on Lincoln Road.”
Along with mobile barriers deployed during special events, police say residents can expect to see an increase in staffing and patrols.
“We do understand that a lot of people are afraid,” said Bess. “Though there are no credible threats to our city at this time, we’re working with local and federal agencies to do intelligence assessments and go from there.”