FORT MYERS BEACH — The City of Miami Beach is still under a State of Emergency, and Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy said he supports the move.
Over the weekend there were huge crowds in the city, along with reports of property damage. Police there made dozens of arrests Saturday night.
Murphy said the Fort Myers Beach Town Council won’t let the same thing happen here.
"If people are out in the streets, and guns are going off and there’s drinking going on and all sorts of other hell-raising, there’s no doubt in my mind that my fellow council members wouldn’t declare a similar emergency and shut her down," said Murphy.
Last year, Miami Beach shut down its beaches for the 4th of July, and Murphy said many tourists headed here.
"A lot more people did come over then, but it wasn’t overwhelming," said Murphy.
We caught up with some spring breakers on Fort Myers Beach to see if they thought those traveling tourists could become a problem here.
"I’m not really concerned for the beaches here, because nobody wants to come all the way out here from miami. I feel like that’s too long of a drive," said Lauren, who only wanted to be identified by her first name.
"I definitely feel like it’s a different crowd, as Miami is more popular with younger college people, but Fort Myers is more elderly people, visiting family-type stuff like that," said Joe Seaman.
Right now, the only restriction in Fort Myers Beach is the mask mandate, requiring everyone to wear masks indoors. Murphy said, he hopes they don’t have to add any new restrictions to the list.
"We want everybody to have fun, but we don’t want them to have it at the expense of someone else," said Murphy.
Just like last 4th of July, Mayor Murphy tells us he thinks any influx of visitors will be manageable, but he says the Town works closely with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to make sure things don’t escalate.
