Spring break is in full swing in South Florida, but as revelers head a bit more north than usual this year, police on Sunny Isles Beach exercised some crowd control Cellphone video captured a massive crowd swarming the beach at 174th Street, forcing local law enforcement to request back up to bre ak it up. Officials said it appears someone posted an invitation on social media for a party on the beach, but beachgoers did not have a permit for it. The Sunny Isles Police Department posted on social media that “non-permitted gatherings and disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.” Spring breakers said a fight on the sand ruined the fun. “Huge crowd started pulling on. There was two people fighting, actually,” said Simon Escobar. Video captured Sunny Isles Beach Police officers dispersing the crowd with bullhorns and sirens. Police said they were able to clean out the crowd quickly and peacefully. Still, moments after the big crowd was dispersed, a smaller, calmer group of people moved in to enjoy the sunny day. Many spring breakers said they chose the beach up north after Miami Beach announced crackdown measures in an effort to avoid unruly crowds of years past. “Miami Beach is too strict. Cops are checking everybody,” said Leslie Rivero. “I felt like the rules were a little bit too much and exaggerating, so we came here,” said Harmony Hernandez. 7Skyforce captured an empty beach across Miami Beach. The blue chairs sat empty as people avoided the iconic streets of South Beach’s entertainment district. The spring breakers who spoke with 7News said that they will check social media for the next spring break hotspot after being kicked out of the beaches in Sunny Isles. Up north in Fort Lauderdale, people lounged on beach chairs and enjoyed a clear day on the sand and in the water. The crowds there were not massive. Nevertheless, traffic across South Florida near the beaches was bumper to bumper all day Friday. Officials expect this weekend to be the last of the spring break celebrations for 2025. Miami International Airports announced Friday that their airport parking garages are full. They urge passengers to be dropped off and to arrive at least three hours earlier. ...read more read less