Miami Beach Paid $425,000 for New Ad Telling Spring Breakers to Stay Away

Each March, Miami Beach officials contend with thousands of Spring Breakers descending upon the city. For years, many residents have taken umbrage at the no-holds-barred party atmosphere during the entire month. Last year, the City of Miami Beach introduced drastic measures to discourage Spring Breakers from visiting, and it made those terms known in a splashy ad that quickly went viral.

The ad, titled "Miami Beach Is Breaking Up With Spring Break," racked up more than 388,000 views on YouTube, with thousands more likes and reposts on platforms like X and Reddit. The video featured a handful of locals "breaking up" with Spring Breakers, warning of deterrents for visitors including curfews, bag checks, restricted beach access, DUI checkpoints, and $100 parking. At the time, the City of Miami Beach told New Times it paid $250,000 to an ad agency to produce the video.

The ad worked — Miami Beach was a ghost town last March. But opinions on the measures were mixed. Miami Beach's Spring Break crackdowns have long been criticized for seemingly targeting Black travelers specifically. And after last year's procedures were enacted, some local businesses complained that $100 parking fees kept patrons away.

Nevertheless, the City of Miami Beach appears pleased with the results. This week, it debuted another ad, titled "Miami Beach Spring Break Reality Check," to discourage Spring Breakers from visiting next month, and it upped the budget, too — the Miami Herald confirmed Miami Beach paid $425,000 to VML, the same ad agency that produced last year’s video.

The new video spoofs a Jersey Shore-style reality show, with a group of five Spring Breakers flexing about renting a penthouse in Miami Beach. They take selfies, they walk on the beach, they ride a rented car with the top down. Then comes the record-scratch moment.

"Once we got to Miami Beach, things went downhill fast," says one of the cast members.

A cop crashes their beach party and tells them they can't consume alcohol or blast their speaker in public. The cast members react to the rules in solo "confessional" interviews. As the tension escalates, the cast learns of Miami Beach's Spring Break curfew. The girls start fighting à la Bad Girls Club. One girl is seen sobbing outside the Bass Museum.

Then, the conceit is revealed: "The show is fake, but the rules...are very real."

The ad goes on to outline this year's onerous Spring Break measures, including $100 parking, curfews, heavy police presence, security checkpoints, and DUI enforcement.

Watch the full ad below.