Black Leaders Offer Ideas To Keep Miami Beach Fun, Safe & Thriving Ahead Of Memorial Day Weekend
MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) - As a busy holiday weekend approaches Miami Beach later this month, leaders are focusing on preparation.
"When you have so many people the congestion becomes an issue and any disorder can reverberate and create more chaos than we can accept," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said.
This past spring break, a series of shootings happened in a matter of days on Ocean Drive.
"We try to program the city as much as we can now, I think we've taken the view that during Memorial Day that we have the Air and Sea Show, during spring break it's a little bit more challenging cause it's an entire month," the mayor explained.
What no one wants to see again is another emergency curfew put in place.
"I along with the board hope we never have to go back to a state of emergency," Pierre Rutledge, Miami-Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board Chair said.
Leaders are now at the table brainstorming and asking what's missing to ensure things go off without a hitch, helping to drive the local economy.
"Bringing the demographic to the table in the planning phase to make sure you have age and demographic appropriate entertainment," Rutledge told CBS 4.
The board meets once a month and members have been reviewing several events coming to the county.
"We're going to talk about merging and coming together with other events so we can partner one big event," Rutledge further explained.
In this approach, Ruttledge hopes to be proactive and promote inclusion in the decision-making process.
"It is easy for us on this side of the island to bring forth solutions and recommendations, but we want them to know that we're going down there on Memorial Day Weekend to assist and support the ambassadors," added.
The board will also formally send a letter of recommendations to the mayor of Miami Beach before Memorial Day Weekend.