With spring break upon us the people of South Florida are facing the incoming waves of tourists, travelers, students, and partygoers with mixed reactions. While many businesses welcome the opportunity for another large influx of patrons, some residents have reservations about the chaos that is spring break in South Florida. Here’s what you need to know about spring break in South Florida in 2022.
South Beach Assailed by Garbage-Laden Partygoers
Everyone knows that spring break can get a little crazy, but sometimes things get a little too crazy. that’s exactly what happened on South Beach when bands of spring break revelers descended upon the beautiful and world-famous beach only to cover it with mountains of filthy garbage.
It’s natural to want to let loose and party while on spring break, that’s pretty much the whole idea. That said, it is unnatural to wantonly ruin the natural beauty of such a magnificent beach by covering it in tons of garbage after enjoying it for themselves.
By covering the beach in trash, it shows that they didn’t appreciate the beauty and splendor of the beach and didn’t care who had to clean it all up afterward.
Members of Clean Miami Beach, an organization dedicated to keeping the Miami-Dade area clean for all to enjoy were disheartened to see such blatant disregard for the beach, animals, and other people.
Even more outrage ensued after learning that the revelers that had covered South Beach in so much garbage weren’t even tourists. The majority of the garbage was left by local students from public schools. Throngs of students from Miami-Dade County public schools partied on South Beach and left it covered with their garbage.
Groups of tourists and volunteers coordinated efforts to clean the beach after the garbage had been discovered. These teams collected countless bags of garbage as they scoured the beach in an effort to clean it up and make it suitable for people and wildlife again.
After the cleanup, the revelers returned to the area and ripped nearly 40 bags of trash open while trying to find things they had left behind. With the bags torn open, more garbage blew all over the place.
Meanwhile, spring break revelers left masses of garbage throughout the streets of Miami. With Florida beaches being covered in garbage, some residents have come to believe that there needs to be more action in terms of enforcement on the beach. Aside from looking unpleasant, garbage also makes it dangerous and unhealthy for sea turtles.
In one instance, mounted police officers had to remove all of the people from a Fort Lauderdale beach in order to make way for the cleanup crew and volunteers to pick up the sprawling mass of garbage that was left on the beach.
Staffing Shortages Put Strain on Top Spring Break Destinations Throughout South Florida
With thousands of revelers rushing through the streets and beaches of South Florida over spring break, the strain that staffing shortages have put on local businesses has intensified.
Many hotels and restaurants throughout South Florida are operating with a skeleton crew with only 50% of their normal staff. Spas and resorts are also feeling the strain as more people flock to the area expecting service while establishments struggle to keep up.
Diners are facing long periods of time to wait for their food and drinks while some restaurants have responded by removing menu items. The current staffing shortage is not expected to correct itself any time soon.
How the Pandemic Has Affected Spring Break in South Florida This Year
As Florida governor, Ron DeSantis continues to be lax on the unvaccinated, COVID-related restrictions are few. The open and unrestrictive legal and political climate has drawn thousands of people to the area as they look for places to let loose while on spring break.
Governor DeSantis has indicated that COVID-related restrictions are likely to return if victorious after midterm elections. Many of the Florida residents who have been concerned about the spread of COVID-19 would welcome the return of certain restrictions as well as more pressure to be placed on the unvaccinated. That said, the spring break partiers of 2022 have few restrictions to contend with as the election is some months away.
As the parties rage on, the revelers have caused a sudden spike in the number of COVID cases while injecting money into the local economy. As such, spring break is something of a double-edged sword in that it generates plenty of money for local businesses while endangering people by encouraging the spread of COVID.
If everyone traveling to South Florida for spring break was vaccinated, things would be different, but they’re not. Instead, COVID cases have risen by over 10,000 in a week resulting in over 800 deaths.
The Party Rages On
From the soft glow of moonlight to the scorching light of the South Florida sun, the party rages on as people continue to celebrate spring break. South Florida is widely known as one of the top destinations for spring break in the nation.
Overall, the spring break of 2022 has proven to be largely beneficial for business owners in the area. Despite being short-staffed, many businesses have seen waves of profits roll in as things return to some semblance of normalcy.
The number of people who traveled to Florida for spring break in 2021 is dwarfed by the number of tourists who have flocked to the area this year. Over 80,000 passengers are expected to travel to Florida every day this year compared to 65,000 in 2021.
Although swarms of tourists can be irksome to local residents, they bring a lot of money into the area. South Florida spring break revelry is legendary, and for good reason. The parties that rage on as spring break continues in South Florida are a reminder of what life was like before the pandemic.
As more people get vaccinated, we can all look forward to better and brighter days where people can enjoy themselves on spring break and soak up the sun without having to worry about COVID.
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