JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Jacksonville Beach police are sending a “no tolerance” message after they say a man sent a threatening message to the City Manager Mike Staffopoulos.
The chief of police said they’ve talked to the man -- and he has not been charged.
According to the police chief, the man who sent the threat was angry with the city of Jacksonville Beach for deciding to do away with volunteer lifeguards earlier this month. This followed a lot of back-and-forth negotiations.
Related: Changing of the guard: Jacksonville Beach does away with volunteer lifeguards after spat | Jax Beach Volunteer Life Savings Corps could be dissolved due to labor dispute, former board president says
According to Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith, three days ago, Staffopoulos opened a Facebook message sent to his personal account. It had been dated April 9. That’s the day after News4JAX reported volunteer lifeguards would no longer be covering the beach. The message was laced with profanity -- but reads in part:
“You sir are a jerk go back to New York or California. Don’t come here with your (expletive) and (expletive) things up. I hope I see you out in jax beach it won’t be good for you.”
In a second message sent at the same time, the chief said, the person wrote:
“Come (expletive) my home town because you feel like you should. Well a lot of people are (expletive) and going to take action”.
Even though the name of the man who police say sent the threatening message is on the police report, News4JAX is not naming the man, but the police chief said that detectives met with him Sunday and that he admitted it was wrong to do and he knows not to do it again.
While the chief said the man’s threat is not credible, it’s still a tipping point in the contentious debate stemming from the city’s recent conflict with the future of the Volunteer Life Saving Corps.
“Some of them, right now, are acting more like a mob than a professional organization,” the chief said.
Earlier this month, News4JAX reported city leaders had been negotiating with a group of volunteer guards for months, but those talks ended after the city manager claimed some volunteers intimidated and harassed staff lifeguards. Volunteers have denied any harassment.
But the police chief is not mincing words.
“If that citizen threatens violence toward any member of the staff or institution in the city, they can definitely expect a knock on the door from this police department -- each and every time,” he said.
He points to last week’s tense city council meeting where he says, at times, personal attacks were made against city staff.
He also said “Save the Corps” signs have been appearing throughout the city manager’s neighborhood.
“There’s a plethora of them around his residence,” the chief said. “It is meant to send a message, in my opinion.”
News4JAX did share the name of the man who police say sent the threatening message with Charles Bond, the former president of the Corps’ Board of Directors. He did not recognize the man’s name and, furthermore, says he does not condone behavior of this sort.
“There is no place in this dialogue for any sort of violence or threats. This is a situation that we’re hoping to handle amicably through negotiations with the city,” Bond said.
Bond makes it clear his hope is for all sides to pick up where they left off.
“We were on a very positive path toward accomplishing everybody’s goal and that was allowing the Volunteer Life Saving Corps to continue to sit the beach and protect the bathers and beachgoers of the community,” Bond said. “And we do that for free.”
News4JAX has reached out directly to the city manager’s office, which said it will not be commenting.
The Jacksonville Beach Police Department says that if anyone else sends a threatening message, expect a knock at the door.
