These are places you can or can’t bring or drink alcohol on the beach in Florida (2024)

Spring break at Miami Beach is getting icy this year instead of heating up.

In a viral new campaign, the South Florida city seeks to "break up" with spring breakers after three consecutive years of violence.

"We're breaking up with spring break," theMiami Beach website states. "Expect curfews, security searches and bag checks at beach access points, early beach entrance closures, DUI checkpoints, bumper-to-bumper traffic, road closures and arrests for drug possession and violence."

USA TODAY reported theMiami Beach Police Departmentconducted 488 arrests, impounded 105 firearms and issued 7,190 traffic citations between Feb. 27 and March 27 last year. Prior to this, Miami Beach made more than 1,000 arrests amongst spring breakers in 2021, leading them to issue an emergency curfew and saw two shootings in 2022.

The city is now imposing additional security every Thursday through Sunday in March, limiting beach access, closing liquor stores early and closing parking garages in South Beach on select days. There will also be no alcohol or smoking allowed on beaches.

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Where else is alcohol banned on Florida beaches during Spring Break?

Panama City Beach residents have experienced a ban on booze in March for the last eight years.

According to the city's ordinances, alcoholic beverages are not permitted on the beach during the popular spring break month. Enforced back in 2016, the ban was put in place after seeing years of unruly crowds and upticks in violence.

In addition to no alcohol on the sandy beaches, the rules also include:

• No alcohol sales between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m.
• No consumption of alcohol on the right of way or in parking lots
• No loitering in parking lots or on the shoulder of the road
• No parking on the right of way in scenic corridors after sunset
• No metal shovels and no holes may be dug deeper than two feet on the sandy beach
• No glass on the beach
• City noise ordinances will be strictly enforced
• People must also heed to double red flags warning and must not leave any trash behind.

Can I consume alcohol in Florida State Parks?

For those wanting to ditch the crowds and head to a state park beach, keep in mind you'll have to ditch the alcoholic drinks.

Alcoholic consumptionis also not permitted in public locations within any of the Florida state parks, including beaches, tubing/paddling areas, or first-comefirst-served picnicking areas. It is allowed in reserved overnight accommodations and covered picnic pavilions.

What are Florida's laws regarding alcoholic beverages in public?

According to Florida's Open Container laws,the public consumption of alcohol is generally prohibited, which includes spaces such as parks, streets, or even beaches. Depending on where you are, you can be cited for possessing an open alcoholic beverage while in public.

However, Florida law firm HP Defenders writes that exceptions do exist, with certain beaches having designated areas where alcohol consumption is allowed.

What Florida beaches do allow alcohol during March?

Wondering if your upcoming spring break destination also has major restrictions on alcohol at the beach? ABC Wines shares a list of where you can bring booze on your beach day (responsibly!) and their restrictions:

East Coast Beaches

• Flagler Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach.
• Cocoa Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach.
• Playalinda Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach.

West Coast Beaches

• Madeira Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach.
• St. Pete Beach:Alcoholic beverages are allowed on the sand at beachfront hotels, but this is limited to hotel guests.
• Treasure Island:Alcoholic beverages are allowed. However, no alcohol is allowed on the beach between the 8500 block and the 9900 block of Treasure Island Beach between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Redington Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach. Please note that alcohol isnotpermitted on the neighboring (and similarly named) beaches of Redington Shores and North Redington Beach.
• Siesta Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach.
• Turtle Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach.
• Lido Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach.
• Naples Municipal Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach; however, they are not permitted on the pier (except beer and wine between noon and one hour past sunset). Please note that alcohol is not permitted one block north and one block south of the pier on 12^thAvenue, 13^thAvenue and Broad Avenue South.

Panhandle Beaches

• Pensacola Beach:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach, omitting an alcohol-free zone located on a “... portion of the beach on the Gulf of Mexico on Pensacola Beach extending 320 feet west of the existing Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier and 225 feet north of the shoreline to the sand fencing, encompassing an area approximately 1.75 acres” (Escambia County, Code of Ordinance, Chapter 6, Sec. 6-3. - Alcohol-free zone).
• Perdido Key:Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beach.