Well it is a zoo but it also isn't.... and that's the beauty of South Florida.
For the previous 8 to 12 years I stayed as far away from mini-season as I could. Mainly because I got sick and tired of the characters that show up on the charters, didn't matter that I tried to ignore them, at the end they affected my dives and one year actually took away my 2nd dive of the charter because some Einstein decided to get hurt for a lobster.
Fast forward to last year, my son gets very much into it... would be his first freediving instead of scuba. He actually went out at midnight with his buddy. Was pretty cool to wake up to a sink full of lobster instead of our typical one to three or four during the regular season. So my husband and I decided to go for it, that Wednesday we were busy but went out Thursday around 1000 or so in the morning, didn't get a full 12 each but added a few to my kids bunch, without any drama. Actually it wasn't much different than any other dive we make any day of the year. True we don't deal with charters anymore because we go out with our little boart, but it isn't the only route.
I read Wookie response and see a copy of my typical jaded response about anything that is the touristy side of Florida but thanks to fresh young eyes (my son's) I can tell that is not as bad as we old farts make it out to be.... go and enjoy your mini-season if you can, who knows, one day you may not be able to be in Florida those days of July, don't take things for granted.