Fort Lauderdale spring break season progressing without major incident -- so far
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Students by the thousands are flocking to Fort Lauderdale's beaches for the 2023 spring break season, which has not been marred -- so far -- by any major reports of criminal activity.
"For now it's pretty relaxed. It's been fun though," said Emily Rowensk, who along with her friend Julianna arrived in South Florida from DePaul University to a noticeable stepped up police presence.
"We've definitely seen a lot of cop cars," Julianna said. "Especially around certain clubs around here."
Police are all over the place -- by design -- as officers look to enforce city rules and keep the peace. For many visitors, the law enforcement presence was a welcome sight.
"I think it's necessary, considering how crazy these college kids can get," said Brandon Kumar. "A lot of fights, a lot of alcohol. Things just get wild."
There have been some instances of unruly people, leading to arrests, but police said Monday that there have been no major incidents this season.
According to police arrest logs, there have been 16 arrests on the barrier island for March, up until last Friday. Those include things like aggravated assault, battery, drug arrests, DUI and one weapons violation.
"The people that populate our beaches are actually college kids," said Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who has been pleased with how it's going so far with police enforcing the rules and most visitors abiding by them. "We don't allow drinking on the beach, unless you're being served by a hotel. The bars are open to a certain time, they're not open as late as other cities are. We try to curb the excitement, a little bit."
But with all the fun comes a warning.
"If you're not well behaved there is a consequence," the mayor said. "If you're going to get out of hand, if you're going to start a fight police are going to be right there."
