JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Thousands of people are expected to visit Jacksonville area beaches this 4th of July weekend.
Local law enforcement tells News4Jax they are ramping up their patrols to handle the crowds.
Last year’s fireworks show on Jacksonville Beach was canceled because of COVID-19, but this year it’s a go.
“Our job is to make sure everyone stays safe and have a good time,” said Commander Mark Evans with the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
Evans said all of the department’s officers will be on duty all weekend. They’ll also have extra manpower from neighboring agencies, like the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Some officers will be in uniform and others will be in plain clothing.
“We’re gonna have people on the beach, on the boardwalk. We have bicycles, we have ATVs, we have four-wheelers, we have Segways,” added Evans.
Lifeguards will be monitoring the beach and FWC will be patrolling the water.
There will also be extra firefighters and units ready if needed for the fireworks show.
“There’s a fire marshal on scene for every show,” said Captain Eric Prosswimmer with the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department. “We’ll have an engine that stands by for the entire show in case some of the pyrotechnics go wrong.”
First responders are asking the public to celebrate responsibly.
“You’ve gotta be smart, you know? Alcohol and fireworks don’t mix. There’s a lot of alcohol being drank on the fourth of July. Kids and fireworks don’t mix, dry things and fireworks don’t mix. There’s a lot of different scenarios that can go wrong,” said Prosswimmer.