Three unrelated shootings in Jacksonville Beach over a span of less than an hour Sunday night are raising questions about security at the beaches during spring break.
The three separate shootings left three victims in the hospital and one dead, with multiple suspects still on the loose as of Monday, according to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
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“We have to make people feel safe,” Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said.
Smith said between 15 and 20 officers were on duty headed into Sunday night.
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After the shooting began, between 60 and 70 arrived on scene.
He also noted response times for the three shootings were instant or virtually instant.
Smith said the department is tasked with policing a population much larger than the 25,000 residents of Jacksonville Beach, especially during peak tourism months like spring break.
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“Every police chief and sheriff that has a beach in Florida faces the same dilemma of the influx of people. So, it is difficult to resource allocate,” Smith said.
Earlier this month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offered beach communities additional manpower during Spring Break season.
“Rather than have it to where things get out of hand and then the state has to come in and provide support, why not just have a plan going in where you utilize state support, so a lot of the stuff doesn’t even happen to begin with?” DeSantis said during a March 5 press conference announcing the initiative.
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Seventeen agencies requested a combined 140 Florida Highway Patrol troopers, but the Jacksonville Beach Police Department was not among them.
“Our police force, they responded quickly. They were immediately, as I said, the other beaches came together, their police departments, to squash this,” State Representative Kiyan Michael (R-Jacksonville Beach) said.
Michael told Action News Jax she’s asked the agency to reconsider taking the state assistance.
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“What resources can we provide to prevent this? And going forward, even throughout the weekend and through the rest of the week knowing that we’re heading into Spring Break,” Michael said.
We asked the Jacksonville Beach Police Department whether the agency plans to request help from the state after Sunday’s shootings.
A PIO for the agency noted the department schedules additional personnel during busier times of the year and will continue doing so, but did not say whether that involves state assistance.
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“We historically monitor calls for service during busier times of year and schedule additional personnel as needed, as we have always done. Public safety is our priority. We will continue this,” Jacksonville Beach Police Department Sergeant Tonya Tator said in a text message.
Smith teased something would be done in response but would not say Monday morning specifically what that might look like.
“I’m not gonna give away my hand. I’d like it to be a surprise. You can probably bet if you know me that yeah, we’re gonna be doing some things,” Smith said.
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Smith did note there’s no indication Jacksonville Beach is experiencing a rise in spring breakers coming from South Florida.
Jacksonville Beach Mayor Christine Hoffman told Action News Jax she believes Sunday night’s shootings were isolated, and that the beaches remain a safe place for residents and vacationers.
“I’m glad that we have a police department that can be not only reactive but as our chief said, be intelligence-based to really plan ahead based on what they might see in terms of events or crowds and things like that,” Hoffman said. “So, we want to just encourage people to come, obey the law, and enjoy their time at the beach.”
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