JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Spring break is approaching and that means larger crowds and extra security concerns on Jacksonville’s beaches.
Action News Jax told you last year about three separate unrelated shootings in a single night on St. Patrick’s Day just as spring breakers crowded Jacksonville Beach streets.
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In a statement posted to Facebook Tuesday, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department said officers will now be engaged in a “zero tolerance spring break law enforcement surge.” The plan details extra officers being allocated to the streets at expected peak times during spring break and other major events.
“We have the Players Championship coming up, that’s always a busy time in our hotels, bars and restaurants,” Jacksonville Beach mayor Chris Hoffman provided as an example. “We have spring break, we have special events in our Latham Plaza and Sea Walk area. So we are really looking at all those dynamic factors on our calendar to plan ahead.”
Read: Natural Life Music Festival returns to Jacksonville Beach on Saturday
Mayor Hoffman told Action News Jax Friday that alongside deploying those resources proactively, the city will be keeping an eye from above to respond to emergency situations at a moment’s notice.
“We also have a camera system in our downtown area, that is focused on our more crowded sections of our beaches and our busier areas,” Mayor Hoffman explained.
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Mayor Hoffman outlined one key thing families can do to help out police and stay safe this spring break in Jacksonville Beach:
“Our police department gets called a lot for lost kids or found kids,” the mayor explained. “So that’s one easy thing that people can do: keep an eye on your kids. Make sure you have a plan so that there are just less phone calls, taking our police officers out of their regular patrols.”
Read: Jacksonville Beach votes to move forward with new music festival
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