Thousands of college students and party-goers continue to enjoy their holidays in Florida this weekend to celebrate what’s expected to be the largest Spring Break ever, now free of COVID-19 restrictions.
While 2020 saw a dismal 1,500 people a day flying to Florida and 2021 saw a crowd of about 65,000 Spring Breakers, the Tampa Bay Times estimated that 570,000 students will be on holiday in the Sunshine State to party on the beaches this year.
The most hectic period of Spring Break, which is expected to last until March 20, comes as six college students, five of whom are West Point cadets, overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine on Thursday.
DailyMail.com cameras were in Fort La uderdale on Saturday night where young people were enjoying the revelry at Rock Bar and the Floridian Restaurant, among several hotspots.
Many weren’t just celebrating Spring Break but also donning traditional green to toast the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day.
A group of girls leaves their drinks on the table as they get out onto the dance floor along Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd
Young people on Spring Break enjoy the nightlife along Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. on Saturday night in Florida
The Rock Bar on Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida was absolutely packed on Saturday night as young people enjoyed their Spring Break
Two Spring Breakers cuddle close together while one hangs tight to a CVS bag Saturday evening
Two men help carry a woman who may have had too much to drink down Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. on Saturday night
After a year in which many avoided Spring Break due to the pandemic, Florida bars and clubs were packed to the gills once again
A car promoting the Floridian Restaurant shows some spirit for the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day alongside the Spring Break revelry
A gentleman with a shirt making his affinities clear poses with a group of girls on a Spring Break Saturday night
Spring Breakers scope out the scene while having drinks Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale
About 570,000 students will be on holiday in the Sunshine State to party on the beaches as they enjoy their first spring break without any COVID-19 restrictions in place after poor showings in 2020 and 2021
Florida officials are on high alert to keep the partying safe as thousands descend upon the Miami beaches on Friday
Friday and Saturday kicks off the most hectic period of Spring Break, which is expected to last until March 20
Party goers enjoyed the sun on Friday as Saturday is expected to bring light showers before clearing up on Sunday
The celebration began on a morbid note after six students, five of which were west point cadets, overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine in Wilton Manors, Florida on Thursday
Miami beaches were absolutely packed on Friday as throngs of students soaked up the sun and kicked off the weekend.
This year, Fort Lauderdale officials are readying themselves by enforcing safety measures into place before the expected arrival of Spring Breakers from all across the country, starting this weekend.
Police and fire rescue officials in Fort Lauderdale, often dubbed as ‘Spring Break Central,’ told reporters at a news conference on Friday that they expect to reach unprecedented levels since the coronavirus pandemic.
‘We absolutely expect at least double if not triple what we saw last year as far as attendance,’ Fort Lauderdale Police Maj. Bill Schultz told NBC Miami.
Schultz added that the city is already welcoming a good amount of ‘early birds’ and that it is ready to anticipate the arrival of many more partygoers over the next few weeks, starting with this upcoming weekend’s surge.
AAA Tampa spokesman Mark Jenkins said that while AAA does not track Spring Break travel, the organization has seen an surge in travel for the event.
‘People are feeling more confident about taking a trip and that’s really what we’re seeing on bookings,’ Jenkins told ABC Tampa.
‘AAA travel bookings right now are much stronger than they were this time last year so we’re expecting a very strong Spring Break season,’ Jenkins explained.
Florida police are expecting Spring Break crowds to double and even triple over the weekend
AAA said travel booking to Spring Break locations are much stronger as people enjoy the event for the first time since the partying scene was left devastated by the coronavirus pandemic
A group of beach goers in Fort Lauderdale, considered ‘Spring Break Central,’ are pictured carrying a cooler to party
The streets in Miami are packed with visitors on their way to the beaches to enjoy Spring Break on Friday
Early birds enjoyed their time on the beach on Friday as Saturday is expected to bring a bigger wave of party goers
Many were already on the beach earlier this week, but this weekend marks the largest expected outcome in Spring Break
The upgraded security around tourist areas was key in the quick response after six students overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl on Thursday night, including five West Point cadets.
Two of the cadets had not ingested the drugs but were overcome by the effects of fentanyl when they attempted to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on their sickened friends, Orlando Sun-Sentinel first reported on Friday.
DailyMail.com reached to the U.S. Army Academy at West Point and was told by a representative that the college was ‘aware’ of the incident in Florida involving its students.
‘The U.S. Military Academy is aware of the situation involving West Point cadets, which occurred Thursday night in Wilton Manors, FL,’ a West Point spokesperson said in an email. ‘The incident is currently under investigation and no other details are available at this time.’
News helicopter video shows paramedics converging on the front yard of a short-term vacation rental home on NW 29th Court in Wilton Manors, where multiple people were found in cardiac arrest at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Footage from the scene shows first responders administering first aid and placing several individuals onto stretchers.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Gollan told Local10 that two of the people who overdosed were sickened because they tried to perform CPR on the initial four overdose victims. He said the opioid-overdose-reversing drug naloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan, was administered to revive the victims.
Four of the patients were taken to Broward Health Medical Center, and the remaining two were transported to Holy Cross Hospital.
By Friday, one of the patients had been released from the hospital, two remained in critical condition after being intubated, and three were in stable condition.
A suspect believed to be connected to the incident was arrested in Florida, police confirmed to WSVN Friday night. It is also unclear if the suspect was staying at the rental property with the Spring Breakers.
Officials say four college students staying at a vacation rental home in Wilton Manors ingested the drug and went into cardiac arrest, and their two friends fell ill after coming into contact with the fentanyl by performing CPR on the patients
A first responder in a HAZMAT suit is seen working at the scene of the mass overdose in Wilton Manors on Thursday night
The six patients are college students who traveled to Fort Lauderdale for spring break. Five are cadets of West Point
The overdosed vacationers were treated with nalaxone at the scene before being taken to a hospital, where one of them was listed in critical condition
Paramedics are seen removing one of the overdoses college kids from the home on Thursday
Gulf Shore, Florida, officials said the Miami incident was not an isolated case and warned that more overdoses could occur throughout the Spring Break season.
Gulf Shore Fire Department Battalion Chief Melvin Shepard said Florida first responders have become well-equipped with administering Narcan nasal sprays or injectables to save those suffering an overdose.
‘It’s a reality of our culture,’ Shepard told NBC 15. ‘You can’t just isolate it to Miami, it could very well happen here or the city next to us, so we have to do everything we can to be prepared for whatever comes our way.’