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Huge beach brawl breaks out after DeSantis delivers warning for spring breakers

March 12, 2024 | | Print Article

Attempts to crackdown on the worst of Spring Break didn’t stop some revelers in Florida as booze, boxing and an all-out brawl broke out beachside.

Even before partiers began making their annual pilgrimage to the Sunshine State, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) had joined with law enforcement officials to warn against some of the most extreme behaviors.

While his March 5 press conference from Miami Beach, where parking fees up to $100 and early beach and bar closures, 6 pm, came in direct response to a state of emergency being declared last year after two deadly shootings, Fort Lauderdale beckoned some seeking a rowdier experience.

As it happened one viral video captured a melee of flying fists and hair-pulling that stretched on despite repeated attempts to break up the brawl on the beach about 45 minutes north of Miami.

The video of the out-of-control conflict came as the Daily Mail reported that Miami Beach alone had tallied 488 arrests during Spring Break 2023 with more than 230 felony offenses and over 100 firearms seized.

During the announced crackdown at the South Florida hotspot, DeSantis had expressed the need to maintain safety at popular destinations and explained he would be deploying law enforcement officials and “tactical assets” throughout the state to do so.

“Florida is a very welcoming state. We welcome people to come and have a good time,” he said. “What we don’t welcome is criminal activity. What we don’t welcome is mayhem and people that want to wreak havoc on our communities.”

“Make no mistake about it,” the governor added. “If you’re coming here in order to enjoy Florida and have a good time, fine. If you’re coming for these other reasons–if you’re committing crimes and causing havoc, you are going to pay the price, and we will hold you accountable because that’s what we do here.”

Of course, Fort Lauderdale’s reputation for its own kind of March Madness was as well-documented as Miami’s. In 2022, first responders had to step in when cadets from the United States Military Academy West Point had reportedly overdosed and gone into respiratory arrest after they were exposed to cocaine laced with fentanyl.

That said, video and images from throughout Florida showed a mix of the usual shenanigans, as well as the enhanced police presence, meant to keep things in check as scantily-clad guys and gals soaked up sun and, in many cases, excess amounts of alcohol as they roughhoused, passed out, stopped traffic and raised eyebrows.

“Fox & Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones even managed to catch a bit of oversharing from one woman as she told viewers on the first day of Spring Break that her “Morning routine: two things you can’t live without. Bronzer and cocaine.”

Kevin Haggerty
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