Published on July 3, 2025 at 11:04 am
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The Fourth of July brings thousands of visitors to Jacksonville’s beaches, and after some recent gun violence surrounding the holidays, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department has been working for months to prepare.
“We are kind of considered the playground of Duval County,” said police Sgt. Tonya Tator.
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But Tator said the department is ready for the surge of thousands expected Friday through Sunday in Jacksonville Beach.
“I encourage people to come out here and enjoy the beach, but come out and be responsible,” Tator said. “We have been pushing it for a while: ‘See something, say something.’”
Tator discussed the department’s plan to manage the massive influx of people, which is part of their “spring surge” plan launched in March.
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Officers coordinate with city leaders and other partners and reach out to people directly on social media to deliver one clear message: The safety of the public comes first.
“In reference to zero tolerance of guns, gangs and any type of weapons and violence, basically any quality-of-life crime, we started cracking down on that,” Tator said.
The spring surge launched this year after three people were hurt and new dad James Jones III was killed in a series of shootings on St. Patrick’s Day last year.
Tator said the department is working to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again.
That’s why social media messaging is so important to warn people that the police are watching and won’t tolerate large, unauthorized gatherings, like the one they said led to last year’s shootings.
“We try and put it out there for people to be safe and follow the rules because we are still continuing throughout the year not just Fourth of July, going to do strict enforcement,” Tator said.
So far, people seem to be getting the message. No violent incidents were reported over spring break or the Memorial Day weekend.
Since the program launched, two dozen guns have also been recovered.
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
