I hate to burst everyone's bubble but it CAN be saved. Back in the early 90's when I moved to Ft. Lauderdale it was the twin of Myrtle Beach. Punks and gangs doing whatever the hell they wanted and no one did a damned thing about it. A1A was the main drag and roughly 3 miles long, shootings. rapes, assaults, you name it, it happened. Smart residents knew to avoid that area like the plague and keep their money. Kids jumping from one balcony to another resulted in numerous sidewalk splats, kids just plain getting high and thinking they can fly accounted for one about every other day. Rapes of young girls, robberies and just plain assed meanness was the order of the day AND night.
Somehow the city council got all of their balls in one bag and decided to put a stop to it. Within 3 years there wasn't a spring breaker to be found south of West Palm or north of Miami. They suddenly found other places to terrorize and to this day the small crowd that does come are well behaved, have manners and cause no problems. The cops are VERY visible and will rap your knuckles at the drop of a hat. The strip became safe for residents to walk after dark and the BS and punks disappeared. The beaches suddenly became cleaner and actually enjoyable to use.
It CAN be done, it just takes a commitment....