This story was updated March 21.
The reputation of Miami Beach as a party-all-night destination has been cooled by a recent crackdown on drinking and nightlife.
Miami Beach officials recently passed an ordinance ending alcohol sales at 2 a.m. in one popular neighborhood, and this week a Miami-Dade circuit judge dismissed a challenge to the rule by a local nightclub.
Previously, bars were allowed to serve alcohol to patrons until 5 a.m.
The ordinance applies to bars and clubs in the South of Fifth (SoFi) neighborhood, which sits at the southern tip of Miami Beach and is home to nightclubs like Story—which filed the court appeal—as well as Nikki Beach Miami restaurant and beach bar, Ted’s HideAway and the ScapeGoat.
“This is a residential neighborhood that should not have to endure 24-hour nightclubs,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “Hopefully we can begin enforcement very soon.”
Then came a pair of fatal weekend shootings in South Beach, which led city officials to impose an emergency midnight curfew in Miami Beach on Sunday, March 19, with plans to extend the crackdown on unruly crowds and violence further into Spring Break season.
Miami Beach Curfew During Spring Break
“The City Manager intends to impose similar additional curfew restrictions from Thursday, March 23, 2023 through Monday, March 27, 2023,” according to an announcement from the City of Miami Beach that cited “the two shootings and the excessively large and unruly crowds, and to mitigate dangerous and illegal conduct.”
The curfew applies to the area of the city bounded by 23 Street and Dade Boulevard on the north, Government Cut on the south, Biscayne Bay on the west, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east.
Businesses in the area are required to stop serving early enough to allow patrons to exit the premises early enough to comply with the curfew, and Sunday alcohol sales for off-premises consumption will be halted at 6 p.m.
Update on curfew measures: On Monday, March 20, the Miami Beach City Commission voted Monday against the curfew for this upcoming weekend, but a measure ordering liquor stores to close early was passed. This measure comes as Miami-Dade is set to welcome Miami Music Week, a weeklong marathon of electronic dance music.
