JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – In preparation for Nicole, Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue issued a beach safety alert through the weekend. Officials are warning people not to go into the water due to the dangerous conditions.
On Tuesday evening, lifeguards and crews could be seen getting ready for the storm. All of the lifeguard stands had been brought off the beach, along with trash cans.
There was also one crew with a backhoe dumping sand from the beach, seemingly to shore up the sand dunes and prepare for storm surge. Many along the beach eroded due to Hurricane Ian.
Early on Tuesday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry warned everyone to “stay out of the water” at the beaches as red flags and high-hazard conditions remain in effect. According to city officials, there could be waves as high as 10 to 15 feet.
Jacksonville Beach is getting prepared for #TropicalStormNicole. Crews have taken the trash cans & lifeguard stands off the beach. They are also loading sand to try create a barrier from the storm surge @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/aKPvFYl1AH
— Renee Beninate (@reneebeninate) November 8, 2022
So far, people appear to have been listening to those warnings. When News4JAX was at Jacksonville Beach on Tuesday night, there wasn’t anyone swimming in the ocean, although there were some people on the beach checking out the windy conditions and big waves rolling in — including Tim Hudnall, who brought his two friends from Iowa in town for his wedding this weekend.
“I was actually taking them to the beach for the first time,” Hudnall said. “They’ve never been.”
Natalia Lewis came to view the conditions with her classmates from Jacksonville University during the day.
“It was pretty rough out there,” Lewis said.
Lewis said she’s from New York and got her first taste of severe weather during Ian.
“I was here for Ian, so I feel a little better since Ian wasn’t that bad in Jacksonville personally,” the JU student said. “I know it was bad in Fort Myers and stuff like that.”
Lewis and others are also preparing for the conditions that Nicole could bring.
“I’ll probably get some water and food and be in my dorm,” Lewis said.
News4JAX also met Bob and Lisa O’Rourke. They were visiting from near Orlando and planned on riding out the storm at their hotel.
“We’re up high enough on the second floor so we’re just going ride it out and watch the storm and watch the waves,” the O’Rourkes said.
All of the beachgoers who News4JAX spoke with said they’re hoping the impacts are minimal — especially Hudnall.
“I’m feeling completely fine. I’m not worried about it at all, and if it rains on the wedding day, it’s great. It’s supposed to be good luck or something like that,” Hudnall said.
News4JAX also drove around the area, and overall, it was quiet. There were some homeowners picking up debris around their front yards and trimming up their plants before the storm.
This weekend, Jacksonville Beach is scheduled to host the Super Girl Surf Pro surf contest, along with live music performances. On Tuesday, barricades and equipment near the stage were secured. As of now, it appears the event is still a go.