Fort Lauderdale city leaders said they’re planning to beef up law enforcement in the Himmarshee entertainment district amid a recent uptick in violence and underage drinking.
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The city’s mayor, police chief, and other leaders held a news conference Tuesday morning to lay out the plans to crack down on a number of growing issues in the area.
Police Chief William Schultz said the biggest issues in addition to the underage drinking are fights and large gatherings.
The plan includes increasing the number of patrol officers, K-9, and officers on horseback.
Officials said they also asked businesses to make sure they’re checking IDs and not over-serving.
They’ve also put up barricades and plan to add extra lighting in the area.
“If you plan to come here to commit crimes, to fight, to cause problems, make other plans. Our officers will be taking strict enforcement actions at all times,” Schultz said.
Fire rescue officials said most of their calls for service come in after midnight for people who are passed out.
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“We’re seeing a large uptick in call volume on the fire rescue side, between 12 a.m. and 4 a.m. in the morning. The majority of those are pass outs,” Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan said.
Chaos erupted in the area back in December after five people were shot when someone opened fire on Himmarshee Street near 3rd Avenue.
Months later, the city voted to ban outdoor alcohol sales and open containers in the street.
Some businesses said they already have strict rules in place.
“We have good security staff. We have good bar staff. Everyone here has been here a while, knowledgeable,” said Micah Harris, the manager of Original Fat Cats.
Harris said he supports the extra police presence.
“If you’re not doing anything wrong, seeing a cop walk by, you should feel a little safer,” he said.
There’s no word yet on how long the beefed up presence will last, but officials said the barricades and extra lighting will be up indefinitely.
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