PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Florida is known as the lightning capital of North America, but now the City of Clearwater is going one step further to keep you safe.
The city is working to install a new emergency alert speaker system at local parks and beaches.
Twenty-four years ago, Jennifer Bailey said she was struck by lightning alongside her friend and her husband.
"I really don't remember a whole lot about it because we kind of got knocked out. We were on a fishing pier. It really just came out of nowhere. We really didn't know what had happened. It hit and we all just passed out and came to," said Bailey.
She said the strike killed her friend, but she and her husband survived. Now, she's extremely cautious.
"There's a lot of metal in parks, obviously. A lot of people don't pay attention, and storms come up very quickly," said Bailey.
She's happy to hear about a new $1.3 million emergency alert system now being installed in Clearwater parks and beaches.
When a storm, lightning, or other emergency begins, speakers will play a message giving people immediate advice.
"It could be a tornado, a waterspout, or rough conditions. For police, it could be a major wreck that shuts down a major roadway," said Derek Smith with Clearwater Emergency Management
Smith said the primary focus is to inform people about dangerous situations and get them into safe spaces.
"For us, we have such a large visitor demographic that they may not know about the weather or certain types of risks out there, so we want to make sure we get the message across," said Smith.
Smith said the new system will make a big difference.
"We can push that out instantaneously and get people to safety a lot quicker," said Smith.
Smith says the new system is able to detect a serious lightning or storm threat.
The City of Clearwater is installing the speaker systems this week, and city leaders say they will be up and running in March.
"I think they should do it. I think it's a wonderful idea. It makes people more aware of what is coming," said Bailey.
