Take a look: Spring Break curfew clears South Beach. The rain did most of the work

Spring Breakers were determined to keep the party going Saturday night, despite a midnight curfew and more than 600 police officers patrolling the area.

“People are still going to come out here,” said Sniper Kit, a 29-year-old visiting from New Jersey. “Nothing is going to stop people from coming out here. They might as well just let us do what we want to do.”

As the sun set, crowds continued to grow on Ocean Drive, but they were still closer to the average Miami Beach weekend than what would be expected for the peak weekend of spring break in the city.

Thanks to a judge’s ruling on Saturday evening, Miami Beach’s newly enacted midnight curfew, which began Friday, is set to remain in place over the weekend. Three South Beach nightclubs — M2, Mynt Lounge, and Exchange — filed a lawsuit Friday to try to overturn the curfew, as they claimed their businesses were being negatively affected, 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 curfew appeared to have quieted the party this weekend, although an uneasy tension remained.

A throng of about four dozen police swarmed Collins Avenue and 6th Street shortly before 7 p.m. Law enforcement at the scene told the Miami Herald an alleged suspect had run away from an officer who stopped him.

A small, short-lived stampede cropped up during the confusion. Police detained at least one person, but the details of the inciting incident were not clear.

Nearly an hour later, officers detained three people on Seventh Street across from the Avalon Hotel Miami; it’s unclear if the two incidents are related.

Since March 1, 225 city-wide arrests have occurred, which includes spring break and curfew-related incidents, Miami Beach spokesperson Christopher Bess said.

An Akron, Ohio resident who called himself “Boss” said the restrictions won’t stop the party.

“It’s going harder than what it usually goes because of that,” the 26-year-old said of the restrictions. “... They’re going to stop people from getting some money. That’s all they’re gonna stop.”

However, he said the heavy police presence made him feel safer: “I don’t got to look over my shoulder anymore.”

During the first night of curfew Friday, Bess said there were no noteworthy incidents.

“We really do believe the curfew was effective. Just seeing how the crowds last night at midnight complied and went elsewhere was a testament to and showed how important it was to keep the community safe,” he said.

Another factor kept crowds at bay Saturday night: rain.

A downpour started around 11 p.m., dispersing crowds one hour before the curfew went into effect. It was at least the second time it rained that evening, putting a damper on what is typically one of the busiest nights of spring break.

When midnight struck, further downpours had done most of the work for officers. The streets were relatively cleared and the stragglers were being told to move along.

At least one person was detained on Ocean Drive during the curfew enforcement.

Despite several detainments, a heavy police presence and curfews, spring breakers said it won’t stop them from having a good time.

Kit, the tourist, said many Spring Breakers slept in until the afternoon after partying late Friday, meaning the midnight curfew leaves them with only a few hours “to catch a vibe.”

“We want to party 24 hours,” he said.

‘...a JanSport full of snakes’

Kyhrre Harris, 23, who was visiting from New Jersey, said people are “definitely” still having fun despite the restrictions.

“Look at everybody: dancing, singing, partying,” Harris said. “People are making money. The restaurants are making money.”

Gabi Henry, 20, was swept up by Friday’s curfew, and while it wasn’t an ideal way to spend her first spring break in Miami Beach from West Palm Beach, she was back on Ocean Drive ready to have more fun.

“It’s been great. It’s been random as hell,” Henry said.

She’s heard from others who have returned for spring break that crowds are smaller, but she doesn’t mind it.

“I mean, if this is slow, quote-unquote, I wouldn’t mind it because this is a good, decent pace,” she said.

With Lia the ball python draped around his neck, Anthony Sanders, a 32-year-old from Broward, returned to Miami Beach for yet another spring break to spread the word of his online snake business, Black Python Party.

Walking the streets with 16-year-old Lia and Roxy, a 4-year-old ivory pastel ball python, he said his snakes are always a big hit with spring breakers.

“I just walk down the strip with a JanSport full of snakes,” he said. “Everybody loves the snakes, and it’s an experience for them, so once they fall in love, they are ready to jump off the cliff.”

He has noticed crowds are a lot slower than in previous years, and restrictions are working.

“It would’ve been streets packed, people in the middle...partying....” Sanders said. “During this time last year, it was way crazier.”

Spring break restrictions cause downturn in business

Among the businesses lining Ocean Drive, Palace is a landmark for locals and visitors alike — especially during spring break. The lively open-air drag show the restaurant hosts during brunches and dinners is normally a magnet for sidewalk crowds to amass in the hundreds.

But with the city’s forced removal of sidewalk seating and other restrictions diminishing crowd sizes, the popular spot saw a drop in business in March, General Manager AJ Brasaguet told the Miami Herald.

“Without the sidewalk cafe, we lose about an extra 125 seats,” he said. “There is definitely a little bit of a decline.”

While March has seen a larger decline in revenue and guests than most months, Brasaguet said the hit is worth it to ensure safety.

“We definitely feel it, but we understand what we have to do for two weeks out of the year to ensure that everybody’s safe,” he said.

Palace is also closing early due to the city’s curfew, as the restaurant is open until 2 a.m. on weekends.

But Brasaguet says it has no real effect as their drag shows end around 11 p.m., and gives ample time to close up shop.

Palace was the site of one of the two fatal shootings during last year’s spring break weekends.

“It was a little scary last year when a shooting was right out front of us,” Brasaguet said. “To see people running through your restaurant, jumping over tables.”

READ MORE: As Miami Beach struggles to control spring break, still few answers on weekend shootings

Miami Beach plans to uphold the curfew until Monday, and Brasaguet said Palace is prepared to follow the law.

“If the city has to do what they have to do by enforcing a curfew, that’s what we all have to adhere to,” he said.

‘Keep our beaches clean’

Jonathan Delisma, a 15-year-old, spent his weekend differently than the average high schooler on Saturday. The best use of his time on Miami Beach’s sandy shores was to be surrounded by trash, he told the Miami Herald.

Delisma, who attends TERRA Environmental Research Institute, spearheaded his own small grassroots movement to clean up garbage along the beach during the city’s peak spring break weekend.

“We just want to have some fun and clean up the beach because it’s getting crazy out here,” he said. “People just leave their trash in the water on the shoreline.”

Standing alongside a little over a dozen students from several Miami-Dade high schools, the group picked up over 200 pounds of trash in the few hours since they started their mission.

“We went all the way to South Beach because they told us it’s the dirtiest over there,” he said. “We just want to...keep our beaches clean.”

Delisma got in touch with the City of Miami Beach to make sure he and his friends could pick up trash and not be affected by the city’s strict restrictions. With a green light from city hall and parking exemptions, he spread the word to fellow students using social media.

What was originally supposed to be a handful of students from TERRA turned into a showing of nearly a dozen students from other schools, including Coral Reef High School, John A. Ferguson High School and Florida International University.

“It spread like wildfire,” he said.

When his school could not coordinate his impromptu clean-up project due to safety concerns, Delisma’s mother stepped in.

“It’s a positive thing if you see a youth with so much positive energy. You have to support it,” his mother Genevieve Pierre Delisma said.

Jonathan had a message for incoming spring breakers looking to have fun in Miami Beach:

“Obviously have a fun time, but make sure you have your garbage in check if you’re ever going to the beach,” he said. “It really shouldn’t be a problem. Take it upon your person to do your part and keep the beach clean.”