As the waters of the Gulf of Mexico begin to warm and Spring Breakers start to arrive, the Bay County Board of County Commissioners and vendors along Panama City Beach are teaming up once again in an effort to save lives on often treacherous double red flag days.
Bay County Commissioner Clair Pease, along with several Bay County Parks and Recreation employees, spent the day Thursday (March 7) delivering more than 500 signs to the vendors to place at the water’s edge on days when double red flags are flying, indicating that swimming is not permitted.
“Last year we had many days with double red flags, and we had a lot of folks that were not getting out of the water,” Bay County Commissioner Clair Pease said. “We had some unfortunate drownings here on Panama City Beach, and we’re being more proactive about getting the word out.”
Following a spate of drowning deaths last summer, the board enacted several ordinances aimed at increasing safety on the beach, including requirements that beach flag educational signage is placed in each hotel room and on the beach at privately owned boardwalks and kiosks.
Pease also led the effort last summer to construct the signs – featuring two red flags and a warning that violators could receive a $500 fine – and collaborate with the beach vendors to put them in the wet sand on double red days.
“We’re putting them at the waterline so even if somehow they miss some of the other education that we’ve tried to get out, they won’t miss it when they get to the water’s edge,” Pease said. “It’s all about trying to save some lives here. We want all of our visitors to go home and to have a great experience while they’re here.”
Pease participated in Thursday’s delivery because she wanted to personally speak with the vendors on the beach, she said.
“This is not something that’s required of them. They do this because they love the beach; they love our citizens; they love the folks that come down to the beach, and they want them to be safe, and they go out of their way a lot more than most people know,” she said. “These beach vendors really do their part in life saving."
Bay County has also partnered with the City of Panama City Beach to ensure vendors across the entire island have signs to place at the water's edge when needed.
For more information on beach safety and the warning flags, click here.
