MIAMI BEACH – The Miami Seashore Metropolis Fee voted to take away an elective civil penalty for folks caught with 20 grams or much less of marijuana or possessing drug paraphernalia. The approval requires a second studying and closing approval on Feb. 21.
“We’re shutting the door on Spring Break, re-criminalizing marijuana and imposing our strictest penalties for reckless habits,” mentioned Miami Seashore Commissioner Alex Fernandez, who sponsored the change. “The anything-goes celebration ambiance is over.”
The elective $100 civil penalty didn’t show to be an sufficient deterrent to discourage folks from smoking or possessing marijuana in public. For the reason that elective civil penalty went into impact eight years in the past, the Miami Seashore Police Division reported issuing solely a restricted variety of civil citations in lieu of arrests.
“The elective $100 civil penalty didn’t deter public marijuana use. As a substitute, folks have been emboldened to ignore our legal guidelines,” emphasised Miami Seashore Mayor Steven Meiner. “Miami Seashore enforces its legal guidelines reinforcing our dedication as a regulation and order metropolis.”
Miami Seashore is the one metropolis in Miami-Dade County that operates its personal Municipal Prosecution Program, permitting the town to prosecute its personal legal municipal ordinance violations. Smoking marijuana in public carries a legal penalty of as much as 60 days in jail and/or a $500 high quality.
The harder stance on marijuana is just one component of a complete plan to handle the assorted elements of spring break that diminish the standard of life for Miami Seashore residents and guests. Different parts of the plan tackle visitors impacts, alcohol gross sales, illegal gatherings, extreme noise and unlawful short-term leases.
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