With South Florida ‘breaking up’ with spring breakers, will more come to Tampa Bay?

Local officials are expecting yet another record-breaking spring break this year.

Last week, Tampa International Airport broke its single-day passenger record after 93,334 passengers went through the airport on Feb. 25. Up to 100,000 passengers each day are expected in the airport over the following weekends.

As a result, local law enforcement is gearing up for a month of packed beaches.

Across the state, Miami Beach vowed to crack down on violence during peak beach season. Gov. Ron DeSantis has also pledged 60 state troopers to assist local law enforcement in South Florida.

Fort Lauderdale officials beefed up their patrols in response to worries that Miami Beach’s “breakup” with spring break will send more hard-partying beachgoers to their shores.

Clearwater police Lt. Meg Hasty says there’s no reason to believe that would be the case along Tampa Bay beaches.

“We have not seen any indication that we’re going to have anybody from the Miami Beach break come to Pinellas County,” she said. “That doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen.”

Unlike South Beach law enforcement, both Clearwater police and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office won’t be deploying more officers than usual this year. Efforts will mirror previous years’ increases in March patrols.

March is the busiest month for local beaches, and Clearwater Beach is a spring break hotspot.

Hasty said up to 27 Clearwater officers could be patrolling shores and nearby parking garages this month as high school and college students flock to the city’s beach. They’ll be cracking down on everything from DUIs to tint violations, she said.

“We want everybody to have a safe and fun spring break,” she said. “But we, like Miami, are not going to tolerate people coming out and disturbing everybody else’s vacation.”

“It’s the party month, and so it’s the month that we see the most amount of disturbances,” Hasty added. “The majority of our fights and underage drinking occurs during spring break.”

It’s not uncommon to see a fight break out every day during break, Hasty said. Most of them occur near Pier 60 and involve local high school students, not out-of-town visitors.

“They bring their beefs from school, whether that be sports, girls, whatever,” she said.

Hasty reiterated the same warnings as previous years: Don’t drink and drive, don’t blast music from your speakers and make sure your kids have a ride home if you drop them off.

One new rule to remember this year will be the recent ban on cigarettes and vapes on beaches.

Elsewhere along the county’s beaches, the messaging remains the same. David Brenn, a spokesperson for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, said beachgoers should expect an increased presence of deputies and municipal law enforcement.

He said St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island and Madeira Beach trail behind Clearwater as the county’s most frequented spring break destinations.

“One big thing is to understand that each different beach community may have a different set of rules,” he said. “I always suggest when you go to the beach, don’t just pass the signs. Take a minute and look at them because at one beach, you may be fine with having a drink and then the next one you may not.”

He also urged parents to know their children’s swimming capabilities and pay attention to weather conditions or any reports of rip currents. On Wednesday, a 17-year-old swimmer visiting with his swim team from Canada went missing off Indian Shores. Pinellas deputies recovered his body later that afternoon.

While they don’t believe his drowning was the result of a rip current, witnesses and fire rescue said the water was especially choppy that morning.

Brenn also reminded beachgoers of the fragility of newly replaced sand dunes.

“They’re protected. They shouldn’t be climbed on,” he said. “A lot of people don’t realize that’s actually for our safety. It helps for storms and beach erosion.”