South Padre Island prepares for spring break crowds

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (ValleyCentral) — South Padre Island has long been known as a popular destination for spring break, but in recent years officials say it has shifted from a college party scene to a family-friendly location.

“We’ve seen it over the last two to three years, the increasing families and the decreasing collegiate students,” said Claudine O’Carroll, Chief of Police for the South Padre Island Police Department.

Although fewer college students are visiting, South Padre Island is still expected to have thousands of visitors during spring break. Law enforcement is increasing staff and patrols to handle the expected rise in emergency calls.

“We start our hiring process around Christmas, we start putting out our notices, we hire extra officers that will work with us side by side in our units,” O’Carroll said. “They’re out on the beach, on the streets, in the entertainment area.”

Along with the increase in police patrols, South Padre Island officials also receive help from other local agencies.

“We have coordination calls with the hospitals, other EMS agencies that are coming to help us, we have the community center where we have set up for a triage station where if we do get busy, we can house patients in the triage area,” said Jim Pigg. Chief for the South Padre Island Fire Department.

The island’s first responders aren’t the only ones seeing a drop in spring break activity. Local businesses have also been experiencing a slower March than usual.

Luis Sarracino and Maria Marrow have owned Sunrise Bakery for a year and a half. They said they did not see a dramatic boost in business last spring break, but they are prepared for the possibility of more customers this year. Instead, Sunrise Bakery and other local businesses have relied on the unseasonably warm weather to maintain steady sales.

“The winter Texans have kept us afloat through the winter and compared to last year, we saw a lot of them come back,” Sarracino said.

Marrow attributed it to “better weather and more things to do on the island.”

The spring break crowd may look different this year, with more families choosing to visit, but local officials and businesses said they are ready to welcome them.