JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – It was standing room only Wednesday evening inside the meeting of the Jacksonville Beach City Council meeting, where a sea of supporters called for the city to keep the Volunteer Life Saving Corps.
The corps has provided training and volunteer lifeguards at the beaches on Sundays and the holidays since 1912. But a dispute over labor laws is threatening the future of the corps.
RELATED: Jax Beach Volunteer Life Savings Corps could be dissolved due to labor dispute
“It’s overwhelming. And the number of people who have come out to support the volunteer life saving corps — we first heard about this about two months ago and we’ve been dealing with the city and trying to convince them of a different way to maneuver,” said Tim Sagau, president of the board of directors for the corps.
Mayor Christine Hoffman said Wednesday that discussions are ongoing between the two parties about the future of this relationship.
“However, the recent findings of a Department of Labor investigation have prompted city administration to re-evaluate the relationship and the separation of the employees in the Jacksonville Fire-Rescue and the volunteers of the corps,” Hoffman said.
This investigation began after a former Jax Beach lifeguard filed a lawsuit in the city back in 2021. Questions have been raised about the volunteers not being paid for Sundays and holidays. That’s because many of the same guards are also employed with Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue out of the same lifeguard station, which pays guards Monday through Saturday.
Corp members who attended the meeting shared that this experience is invaluable.
“I hope they see how much the community loves this organization. We’re here volunteering our time to save people’s lives,” said Brian Garner, who joined the corps in 1983.
It’s helped shape the lives of many from all walks of life and generations.
“It just becomes part of you,” said Mickey Copa, who retired from the corps. “And it would be a shame if the city council didn’t do what’s right for the citizens of Jacksonville Beach and of Jacksonville.”
While the future of the Live Saving Corps is unclear, the mayor added that she hopes the two parties can work something out.