JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Over a dozen people showed up to the Jacksonville Beach City Council Meeting tonight, addressing the concerns they had over last night’s tragic shooting. Three people were hurt, and one person was killed.
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Council members also addressed the violence and discussed possibly banning large gatherings.
At Monday’s meeting, Mayor Chris Hoffman said she has heard from the White House, state reps, local officials as well as national media outlets in the past 24 hours. And she said, “This isn’t the kind of attention we want for Jacksonville Beach.”
Every single person who spoke during public comment mentioned last night’s shootings. Many were applauding law enforcement for their heroic actions, and several others were demanding that more needs to be done to keep people safe.
The first person who took to the podium got choked up when he said, “What happened last night should not have happened this is our beach, you guys got to step up.”
A lot of emotion tonight as Jax Beach recovers from a tragic St Patrick’s Day.
“I want to begin by thanking our chief of police,” city council member Fernando Meza said while getting choked up. “I saw him in action first hand and every member of JBPD, thank you very very very much.”
READ: Jacksonville Beach shootings: Search for suspects continues, mayor says ‘this is a safe community’
Many were frustrated and deeply saddened by the chaos that erupted Sunday night.
“I’m embarrassed,” Jacksonville Beach resident Jennifer Crews said during public comment. “This is not the wild wild west, this is Jacksonville Beach Florida.”
Crews has lived in Jacksonville Beach for at least 20 years, and she says the problem is visitors.
“We’re tired of it,” Crews said. “We are not Jacksonville’s garbage dump. I don’t feel safe in my own community between Friday and Sunday, Monday through Thursday, I’ll go anywhere, do anything as long as there’s daylight.”
Jax Beach Police said three separate shootings ultimately led to three people hurt and one person dead.
Many applauded the Jax Beach Police Department for their quick actions.
People also said the city council needs to invest more money in law enforcement to help staff more people and provide more resources.
Someone during a public comment said, “You cannot be too proactive when it comes to crime reduction initiatives, you cannot overinvest in public safety. That is why I’m humbly asking the city council to fully fund the budget request of the Jacksonville beach police department.”
READ: Jax Beach PD didn’t take spring break state help, Sunday’s shootings could change that calculation
Earlier today, JBPD posted a video on Facebook saying they were aware of an advertised event that would bring a large gathering of teens to the beach, on Sunday. The post said they anticipated a fight and for more than 250 people to be there.
Council members addressed this point with council member Greg Sutton proposing to create an ordinance banning gatherings of at least 50 people.
“If people want to have a gathering, and they’ve got the permit to do so, then they are certainly welcome to do that as long as it’s civil,” Sutton said.
The city attorney said creating a moratorium or a ban on large gatherings through an ordinance will help establish a probable cause for law enforcement to act.
“We as citizens have to put our foot down and tell people we’re not going to tolerate this,” Crews said.
During public comment, residents also called on the city council to ask for help from our neighbors like Jacksonville City Council and the surrounding beaches.
Council members addressed this and said they would discuss this and try to move forward with a plan to help keep locals and springbreakers safe.
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