Spring break crowd thins out as day 3 of midnight curfew gets underway in Miami Beach

As another spring break weekend drew to a close in Miami Beach, visitors were still peppering stretches of Ocean Drive while navigating day three of the midnight curfew.

Fewer people on the roads likely spelled success for the city’s “Breaking up with Spring Break” campaign, which sought to decrease crowds through a series of measures that include increased parking fees and a 12 a.m. curfew instituted on Friday.

Much of Sunday was quiet with crowds on Ocean Drive mirroring those on a busier weekend, but a far cry from the rowdy spring break seasons Miami Beach had previously welcomed. Police remained a common sight on the street, with officers stationed on virtually every corner.

Amid crowds thinning for the night, commotion broke out at Oh! Mexico restaurant on Washington Avenue, with dozens of police officers rushing over within minutes. After the brief response, several officers detained a man in relation to an argument.

Since spring break began, officers have made about 265 arrests, police spokesperson Christopher Bess told the Miami Herald. Four of those arrests were related to the curfew.

While the throngs have thinned, the city’s crackdown on spring break — including the newly enacted midnight curfew — hasn’t stopped vacationers and locals alike from heading to the historic neighborhood. Three South Beach nightclubs — M2, Mynt Lounge, and Exchange — filed a lawsuit Friday to try to overturn the curfew, but a judge upheld the city’s curfew.

READ MORE: Miami Beach’s spring break curfew stands, despite lawsuit from clubs. Here’s why

The department, Bess said, on Sunday night scanned the license plates of cars entering via the MacArthur and Julia Tuttle causeways. Officers were then tipped off about wanted or missing persons and stolen vehicles, and those drivers were pulled over.

“So far, so good,” Bess said. “We’re almost at the finish line.”

Check out the South Beach festivities Sunday evening:

Dressed like Marvel’s Deadpool, The Flash Pool whipped swords out of the holsters on his back, swinging them around. The Flash Pool, in costume, has been filming special effects and sword tricks videos to build a platform on social media.

He said he got into creating content in cosplay last summer and uses it to channel his creativity during difficult times. The Miami native was planning on staying in but decided to make his way to Ocean Drive to have fun and make passersby smile.

“I needed an outlet to get away from being in a bad state of mind,” The Flash Pool said.

At Finnegan’s Way, Marcus Hide, his relatives and friends were observing St. Patrick’s Day with drinks and green attire. They were also marking Hide’s last days as a bachelor.

Hide, who lives in Boston, said the rest of the group traveled to Miami Beach from Ireland. They were stunned to learn that there was no St. Patrick’s Day parade — and that the holiday isn’t widely celebrated in South Florida.

“I guess there aren’t a lot of Irish people who live here.”