JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On May 24th, Jacksonville’s pre-season outdoor pool season got its official start.
Phillip Perry with the City of Jacksonville says this year, 30 of the city’s 33 outdoor pools will open for the summer season.
In 2023, lifeguard shortages forced some pools to remain closed and others to operate on limited hours. But Perry says that has changed since Mayor Donna Deegan was sworn in.
“Since then, she has prioritized the investments in repairs, recruiting lifeguards, and paying them more so that nearly all the city pools were open in 2024 and 2025,” Perry says.
With the pay raise, city lifeguards are earning an additional $3 at $15/hr. Before the bump, lifeguards were making $12/hr.
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This summer, the city also added its newest outdoor pool.
The Blue Cypress Park pool in Arlington was jam-packed with families on Memorial Day.
Julie Hoffman was there with her five sons. She says she is happy to know the city is fully staffed with lifeguards.
Without them, Hoffman says she would feel unsafe.
“It’s nice that lifeguards are here and that we have that option for the little ones. My older ones are excellent swimmers, so maybe not as much of a fear with that. But for the little ones, especially,” the mom shares.
While families like the Hoffmans are soaking in the sun at the city’s outdoor pools, Phillip Perry with the City of Jacksonville says that people can expect even more new pools in the future.
“The new pools at Atlantic Coast High School and First Coast High School are currently being designed and on track to open in 2027,” Perry tells us.
In the meantime, the city is still hiring lifeguards.
And as for the city’s summer pool schedule, you can read more about that, and working for the city as a lifeguard, here.
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