Spring break crowds in Fort Lauderdale are already starting to get rowdy.
Joshua Pettus recorded video of people boxing on the beach.
“Why aren’t they playing football? Something that is not going to get people injured,” Pettus said.
Pettus says he walked down to the beach earlier in the week and overheard something strange.
“I started hearing somebody taking bets and they were doing it with crypto,” Pettus said.
He saw people running onto the beach, and the guy taking bets running that way, too, so he took out his phone and started recording.
“Boxing gloves came out, the ring got bigger, and I knew the fight was going to start,” Pettus said.
Pettus says police showed up and broke up the fight that could’ve ended worse.
“It was very unsafe,” Pettus said. “It’s not welcomed here because other people are on the beach and that could have got really bad.”
In response to spring break crowds, the city of Fort Lauderdale sent this statement:
“Fort Lauderdale Police witnessed and broke up two incidents on the beach and the crowd complied both times without further issues. There have been no reported or confirmed cases of betting. This type of behavior will not be tolerated.
Our police department is out along the beach in full force to make this spring break season safe and enjoyable for visitors and residents alike. We encourage anyone who witnesses a disturbance to call 911.”
Meanwhile Friday night, the Davie-based non-profit The Robin Foundation made sure spring breakers stay safe.
“We felt we had to do something,” Chris Cavallo said.
The group walked around downtown Fort Lauderdale with the help of student volunteers from Nova Southeastern University to hand out Narcan, the medicine used to treat narcotic overdose in an emergency situation. It’s part of their campaign to combat the opioid crisis.
Cavallo says they lost loved ones both to overdoses. They’ve been distributing Narcan in the community since 2020.
“We’ll tell them whatever you’re doing you’re being safe and know that there’s things that you may not know in drugs you’re using and if you or anyone around you should overdose this medication will save your life,” Cristina Cavallo said.
Three years ago, several spring breakers overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl at a vacation rental home in Wilton Manors. Police said the students were cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Officers later arrested the dealer who sold the drugs.
“You might see somebody else and you can save their life,” Cavallo said.
It’s images like these that Pettus hopes he doesn’t have to witness anymore.
“I’m not trying to deter spring breakers from coming here because we want your business, we want you to come and have fun but doing it responsibly without the violence,” Pettus said.
The Robin Foundation plans to go out every other weekend in different areas of Fort Lauderdale to hand out the Narcan doses throughout Spring Break.
Fort Lauderdale’s safety measures are in place through April 12.
The following activities will be prohibited in high-traffic beach areas:
- Alcohol
- Coolers
- Tents, tables or similar structures
- Live or amplified music
There will also be an increased police presence along the beach and other high-traffic areas throughout the season. You can expect:
- Increased enforcement of the above restrictions
- Beach sweep/cleanup each day at 5:30 p.m.
- Increased enforcement in entertainment areas from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
- Beach enforcement from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, Miami Beach also announced strict spring break rules that include security and DUI checkpoints, $100 parking and road closures.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
