Miami Beach commissioners are tightening the city's marijuana laws ahead of the busy spring break season.
The commission voted this week to remove an optional civil penalty for people caught with 20 grams or less of marijuana.
“We’re shutting the door on Spring Break, re-criminalizing marijuana and imposing our strictest consequences for reckless behavior," Commissioner Alex Fernandez, who sponsored the change, said in a statement. "The anything-goes party atmosphere is over."
Commissioners said the optional $100 civil penalty didn't effectively discourage people from smoking or having marijuana in public.
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Since the penalty went into effect eight years ago, police reported only a limited number of civil citations instead of arrests.
Miami Beach is the only city in Miami-Dade County that prosecutes its own criminal ordinance violations.
Smoking marijuana in public carries a criminal penalty of up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
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“The optional $100 civil penalty didn’t deter public marijuana use. Instead, people were emboldened to disregard our laws," Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner. “Miami Beach enforces its laws reinforcing our commitment as a law and order city."
The news comes as the city is cracking down on rowdy spring breakers with what officials say are the toughest safety measures ever.
