During Spring Break, Floridians prepare for the masses that will arrive, flooding out of airports and any moving vehicle. The increase of population in public places, especially the beach, will be quite noticeable. Floridians debate how they feel now that this year’s break is right around the corner.

   Everyone wants their home and place of comfort to be treated with respect, and Mrs. Gracen Herring (FAC) shares how the tourists make her feel, and her hopes for how they should act when they stay here and occupy their favorite places to go.

   “I think that as long as they are respectful of Florida and our beaches, it’s a really good idea. It helps our economy, brings in money, and helps small shops,” Mrs. Herring said.

   With such large amounts of tourists, trash is bound to build up. This causes irritations for the residents that often go to their regular beaches and parks which can often cause destruction.

   “It is annoying when they party and when they are trashing things. Daytona beach gets pretty busy, Palm Beach, Sarasota, and I believe even Panama beach,” Mrs. Herring said.

   Teenagers interact with spring breakers from a different standpoint, as you will find teenagers out much more, hanging out and having fun due to their youth. Amanda Dahl (‘25)  and Victoria Murphy (’25) both understand the problem of packed public areas, and agree that it’s an overwhelming amount of people.

   “It just gets really crowded, at least when I went last year in Clearwater as my first Spring Break in the U.S. It was fun but it was just a lot going on. I see a lot of them at the beach,” Dahl said.

   “I would say Honeymoon Island beach is a more private beach to go to; less crowded. I would think less people should come because a lot of people already live in Florida and since it snows in other places a lot of people come down here because it’s sunny. Better places to go could be Tennessee or South Carolina because they are sunny and have beaches,” Murphy said.

   Sour and strong opinions are to be expected, Phoebe Silvera (’27) meets that expectation. She doesn’t appreciate the amount of tourists that come to Florida and disturb her peace and relaxation when she is with her friends.

   “Spring breakers piss me off, like go to California or something, don’t come to Florida, it’s not good here. ‘Utahans’ are always coming here and saying it’s so nice here, and it’s not. I see them a lot at the Seaside, Clearwater, and Miami. I go to the East Coast with my friends and they’re always there too,” Silvera said.

   Everyone has their own views on tourists, as there are tourists everywhere, especially in the “Sunshine State”. Learning to adapt to it each year is crucial, because in the end they do help our economy and bring in money for Florida. During Spring Break $15-25 million dollars is earned for the economy during Spring Break. Restaurants in Tampa such as Wright’s Gourmet House, and Paradise Grille are popular during spring break. Or popular places such as Daytona Beach, which has shops, water activities and more, that raise lots of money during Spring Break,  helping us as a whole; have more places to go to have a good time, and make Florida a better experience for its citizens, and those who come to visit us.