Tourists react to Miami Beach's spring break restrictions as one of the busiest weekends begins

    MIAMI, Florida (WFOR) -- Miami Beach is bracing for what could be one of the busiest spring break weekends as the city begins rolling out restrictions in hopes of maintaining order.

The city is expecting the largest crowd of spring breakers from Thursday through Sunday and next weekend. That is the reason behind restrictions like barricades along Ocean Drive and road closures into the iconic strip.

"I mean, I thought we were just gonna come out here and have fun and do whatever we want to just because it's spring break but I guess there are a couple rules," said Zeke Sabi, a spring breaker from Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sabi, along with his buddies, are just a few of the spring breakers expected on South Beach over the next two weekends.

As he was walking onto the Beach, he was stopped and told the speaker he was holding is prohibited.

"No speakers allowed, but I didn't know that," Sabi said. "Guess I have to keep that in mind for next time."

That's just one of the many rules during this high-impact time of spring break. Parking garages and lots south of 23rd Street will be closed. DUI checkpoints will begin every night at 7 p.m. People will only be able to access the beach through entrances at 5th, 10th and 12th streets.

At each of those beach entrances, there will be security telling people what they aren't allowed to bring.

A big issue for visitors is being off the beach by 6 p.m.

"Basically, they got a lot of street cut off to where there's no incoming traffic that's able to come on the beach. They shut the beach down at 6 o'clock, which is pretty crazy 'cause that's what I came right here for the beach you know is Miami," said Jamal Walters, who's visiting from New Orleans.

"I wasn't really expecting the beach should be closed at 6 o'clock," added Joshua Davis, who's also visiting from New Orleans. "I mean I'm very, very disappointed about that, but at the end of the day, I mean it is still beautiful out here."

On top of strict restrictions, there will be an uptick in police presence, including from other departments.

"We are pottering with about 18 different Lund state agencies were partnering with about three federal agencies will be working with our undercover detectives as well," said Miami Beach Police's Public Information Officer Christopher Bess.

Miami Beach Police said the department is already seeing the results of this approach to spring breakers.

"As of this morning, our arrests are down 17% compared to last year. Last year, we had a successful spring break," Bess said. "What that number tells us is we're doing something right and our visitors are abiding by the rules."

Visitors are asking when are too many rules just too much?

"Anybody can go whenever they want to they wanna have fun. I'm gonna shouldn't be a big problem just cause a bunch of kids wanna have fun," Sabi said.

"When it comes to a real holiday like spring break, you can't shut us down," Davis said. "You can't shut us down."

Sidewalk seating over the next two weekends will be prohibited at businesses along the Ocean Drive strip.