PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Spring Break is beginning in the Tampa Bay area, and local lifeguards are getting ready!
Clearwater Beach lifeguards are looking to hire some more personnel to keep up with the expected crowds.
"I love it, we love it, we love to see our beach thrive. It’s wonderful and comforting to see things having some more sense of normalcy again," said Patrick Brafford, a Clearwater Beach lifeguard.
Brafford said months after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, he’s starting to see his favorite place come alive again.
“We are already seeing an uptick, especially since we’ve had a good run of weather right now. It's ideal beach weather," said Brafford.
Brafford said as we enter Spring Break season, beaches will start to get more crowded.
“These next few weeks we are really going to see it ramp up," said Brafford.
That’s why he is trying to hire between five and eight more lifeguards.
“We always have to have that padding as well. We have to be prepared for days where we do see an excess of people out here or we have more hazard areas or something like that and we have to staff more guards," said Brafford.
He said the lifeguards will be part time and will work when a lifeguard needs to call out sick or they are understaffed.
Brafford said having plenty of lifeguards on standby is critical.
“Whether you’re familiar with the beach or not, we still need people to remember that it can be dangerous, it can turn dangerous and there are hazards that they need to be aware of," said Brafford.
“You don’t know the ocean, we only have lakes up in Canada where we are from. And just the undertow aspect and the waves and the current, you never know," said Pam and Kendall Smith, who are visiting Clearwater Beach.
Pam and Kendall Smith said seeing the lifeguards on the beach puts their minds at ease.
“If something goes wrong, they can help you," said Kendall Smith.
“You feel more comfortable, you feel safe, you can relax with just their presence," said Pam Smith.
ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska heads to Weedon Island, which has a rich history that dates back more than 12,000 years. During that time, it was home to Indigenous populations, a movie studio, an airport, a safe haven for bootleggers during prohibition, and so much more. Today, the preserve protects this wide diversity of natural and cultural resources for current and future generations.
