Rip current warnings issued at Central Florida’s coast for Memorial Day
The Central Florida coastline was busy Monday as people headed to the beach for Memorial Day.
Beach Safety officials say they had an “exceptionally” busy day Monday with more than 230 people rescued from the ocean.
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A new law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis last week made the Volusia Sheriff’s Office responsible for beach patrols. Deputies say it’s allowed them to be more efficient with their safety response.
Beach safety officials say, while they’ve made dozens of rescues since the weekend, they’ve been more proactive than reactive.
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“We’ve got people out patrolling on ATVs, people out patrolling on jet skis. We’ve got our Marine Rescue vessel out on the water,” Volusia Beach Safety Deputy Chief Aaron Jenkins explained. “We have all our full fledge trucks, which carry all the medical equipment, out on patrol.”
The Memorial Day weekend marked the official start of the merger between the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and beach patrol.
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Jenkins says allowing the deputies to handle policing and other law enforcement duties has already paid off.
“Yesterday, we did 728 preventative actions,” Jenkins said. “Those things are things you do to prevent a water rescue, prevent someone from swimming into a rip current.”
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With a national lifeguard shortage already impacting staff numbers heading into the summer season, beach officials say they’ll take all the support they can get.
“We’re not looking west for the alcohol,” Jenkins said. “We are looking east for the family about to go into a rip current.”
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