{"id":200688,"date":"2026-03-21T19:49:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T19:49:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/200688\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T19:49:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T19:49:33","slug":"spring-break-scenes-on-fort-lauderdale-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/200688\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring break scenes on Fort Lauderdale Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Besides the barricades on sidewalks, police on horses and a barrage of D-list online streamers, spring break on Fort Lauderdale Beach didn\u2019t look much different from any other day.<\/p>\n

After a week of bleak, rainy weather, spring breakers finally got a nice beach day on Friday. The sky was beautiful, the sun was out but the wind was harsh, whipping up sand in sun bathers\u2019 faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is it cold?\u201d one girl shouted at her friends as they walked toward the popular bar Elbo Room.<\/p>\n

It was a relaxed end to a relatively relaxed spring break week in Fort Lauderdale. (The most scandalous thing to happen all week was the arrest of a Florida State University football player<\/a> at Rock Bar.) After Miami Beach\u2019s infamous break-up with spring break a couple years ago, Fort Lauderdale seems to be the real spring break hot spot. But it\u2019s nowhere near as chaotic as the Miami Beach spring breaks of old, although two spring breakers were killed Wednesday night when they were hit by a driver in North Beach.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: One of the two spring breakers run down in Miami Beach was a star IU student<\/a><\/p>\n

In Fort Lauderdale, a cast of characters lounged, surfed, played volleyball and wrestled Friday afternoon until police closed the beach for cleaning. Here\u2019s how they spent their break:<\/p>\n

3:45 p.m. – Beaches, booze and girls… kind of<\/p>\n

A bright red \u201cDANGER RIP CURRENT\u201d flag waving in the wind kept most people out of the water, but 18-year-old Gabriel Titensky saw an opportunity.<\/p>\n

Carrying his skimboard, which is like a cross between a boogie board and a surfboard, the University of South Florida freshman waited for the right moment to run into the waves, try some tricks and fall in the freezing water. \u201cDid you see that flip?\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n

Titensky, who is from Fort Lauderdale, said he\u2019s enjoyed spending time at the beach and with his parents while on break, though the weather dampened the mood a bit. \u201cIt\u2019s a good place to come for spring break,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody comes here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gabriel Gabriel Titensky, 18, a student from University of South Florida, rides a skimboard at Las Olas Beach during spring break on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Nearby in the sand, a large group of male friends, mostly from the University of Illinois, disagreed. They said they came to Fort Laudedale for beaches, girls and booze, but they weren\u2019t happy with their spring break.<\/p>\n

\u201cFort Lauderdale is one and done. It was disappointing,\u201d said Carl Sos, 19.<\/p>\n

Since the weather kept spring breakers from the beach, bars and clubs were overcrowded. They ended up spending much of their time waiting in long lines to get into bars, even though they paid hundreds of dollars for VIP access.<\/p>\n

\"Ryan Ryan Smith, 19, a student from University of Illinois, center, sits on Las Olas Beach alongside his friends during spring break on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Other complaints from the boys included rude police officers and strict rules. They said they heard that not even backpacks were allowed onto the beach, so they didn\u2019t even try. \u201cThe new laws are just killing us,\u201d said Ryan Smith, 19.<\/p>\n

But the group had plenty of fun dancing in Rock Bar two nights ago, so much so they were surprised to see \u201clike 100 police cars\u201d outside once they left. The DJ was so good they didn\u2019t notice the ruckus outside. \u201cThe music was ripping,\u201d said Luke Lippe, 21.<\/p>\n

One highlight for the guys? Clavicular, a streamer obsessed with his own looks<\/a>, was in town.<\/p>\n

4:30 p.m. – Enjoying the single life<\/p>\n

Elbo Room was bursting at the seams. There wasn\u2019t an inch of balcony spared from a sunburnt spring breaker. Vacationing students and stubborn locals crowded into both floors of the popular bar, where the sound of the crowd was louder than the music.<\/p>\n

Jacenta Evans, 27, sat outside, enjoying the scenery. She\u2019s not the typical spring breaker, she said. Evans came to Fort Lauderdale for the first time to go on her own spring break. Since she was in a long-term relationship throughout college, she never traveled or went out to bars during her week off school.<\/p>\n

But now she\u2019s single and making new friends. \u201cLook at me now!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it so far. The people are nice. The cops are keeping it under control so far,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the traffic is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A1 A1 Brass performs as people make their way down Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard during spring break at Las Olas Beach on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com 4:45 p.m. – How long can you hang?<\/p>\n

The cost: $25. The challenge: hold onto a bar and hang there for 140 seconds. The prize: $140.<\/p>\n

Taylor Katsube, a 21-year-old D1 field hockey athlete, wasn\u2019t interested in paying the $25. She just wanted to test the bar and her strength. \u201cI think I can last a minute,\u201d she said. \u201cI saw a bunch of guys fail that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsube and her friend, who booked a last-minute hotel for $1,350, had a hard time getting caught in the rain this week but still had fun meeting new people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would\u2019ve preferred better weather, less wind, less rain, but you gotta make the most of it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Carlee Carlee Fitch, 18, a student from the University of Florida, tries to do a pull-up while visiting Las Olas Beach during spring break on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Raivis Ordway, who was running the hang-time contest, asked 18-year-old Carlee Fitch how many pull-ups she could do. \u201cGo Carlee! Go Carlee!\u201d her friends cheered.<\/p>\n

The result: 1 1\/2 pull-ups.<\/p>\n

Fitch, a nursing freshman at the University of Florida, said she\u2019s been enjoying her time in Fort Lauderdale so far, but the men? Not so much. They just won\u2019t leave her alone, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re annoying. They think I\u2019m interested, but I\u2019m not. I got called \u2018boring\u2019 today by this guy because I didn\u2019t want to talk,\u201d Fitch said. \u201cLike, go to rejection therapy or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, she\u2019d come back to Fort Lauderdale for spring break, especially if the weather was nicer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not been affecting my time. It\u2019s been affecting my tan,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

5 p.m. – Too much rain, not enough \u2018celebrities\u2019<\/p>\n

The beach was crawling with aspiring social media content creators filming themselves and other spring breakers on their phones.<\/p>\n

Edward Arreaza, a 21-year-old University of Central Florida, wasn\u2019t impressed. Most of social media\u2019s better-known streamers went to Houston this month instead of South Florida, he said.<\/p>\n

\"People People visit Las Olas Beach during spring break on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

\u201cCompared to last year, this year is a 3 out of 10,\u201d Arreaza said. \u201cLast year was 9 out of 10. It was sunny, no wind, no nothing. All of the celebrities and streamers were outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The weather was a huge setback for Arreaza and his friends. Instead of going to the beach, they spent a lot of time streaming themselves. Arreaza said his friend has 200,000 followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe weather really canceled it this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

5:10 p.m. – Spring breakers love horses<\/p>\n

Law enforcement officers mounted on horses rode onto the sand next to a lifeguard stand. They were getting ready to start escorting people off of the beach for cleaning, a rule the City of Fort Lauderdale put in place for spring break.<\/p>\n

Though the horses were hard at work, spring breakers crowded around the officers asking to pet them. Some were more apprehensive than others. Abby Blake, 19, asked her friend Kenyah Walker, 19, for a cute picture of her with the horse, but she jumped back when he shook his head a little too fast for her liking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big animal!\u201d said Blake, a Morgan State University student.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can kick you in the face and you\u2019re out,\u201d said Walker, a Broward College student.<\/p>\n

\"Brian Brian Sherry, a student from the University at Buffalo, pets Titan, as horse-mounted police units from Fort Lauderdale and Davie patrol at Las Olas Beach during spring break on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Besides conquering their fear of horses, the Broward natives said they\u2019ve had fun all week, riding on ATVs and partying on a yacht. After a beach day on Friday, the plan for the friends was to hit the club.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty much just party, party, party,\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n

When asked if they got a cute picture with the horse, Blake wasn\u2019t sure. \u201cI tried my best!\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n

5:30 p.m. – \u201cDo it! Do it!\u201d<\/p>\n

A group of spring breakers sitting on the white Wave Wall were approached by a large man carrying a wad of cash and a championship boxing belt.<\/p>\n

The man was surrounded by his posse who was filming him on a phone and carrying a bag of boxing gloves. He singled out the young man in the group, about half his size. \u201cDo it! Do it!\u201d someone taunted.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo what?\u201d one of the girls said.<\/p>\n

Eventually the content creators left. The friends explained that the man, who was livestreaming himself on the beach, was trying to get the young man to box him on the sidewalk for $180.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was huge! Do you see how skinny my friend is?\u201d one of the girls said.<\/p>\n

5:45 p.m. – Party\u2019s over \"Police Police officers ask people to leave a section of Las Olas Beach for cleaning during spring break on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Farther down on the beach, the horses (and the officers riding them) lined up to begin their sweep. Everyone had to get off the beach so that workers can clean up the litter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? It\u2019s closed?\u201d some spring breakers asked as they rushed to fold up their towels and put on their flip-flops.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait!\u201d one young woman said to a police officer. \u201cIs the horse friendly?\u201d The officer trotted away.<\/p>\n

Within 15 minutes, much of the beach was cleared of spring breakers. Seagulls flew down to the sand looking for scraps. All that was left behind was red plastic cups, crushed cans of RedBull and dead disposable vapes.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published March 21, 2026 at 12:01 PM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Besides the barricades on sidewalks, police on horses and a barrage of D-list online streamers, spring break on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":200689,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[513,249,29142,251,250,77937,132,86209],"class_list":["post-200688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-beach","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-beach","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-fort-lauderdale-spring-break","tag-police","tag-spring-breakers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200688\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}