JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — City council officials are discussing what they can do to address security concerns in Jacksonville beach following Sunday's multiple shootings.
Jacksonville Beach City Council member Greg Sutton says the city needs to find a way to immediately address security at the beaches. During Monday's city council meeting he gave his suggestions.
"I think an ordinance, something like making it illegal to have a gathering of 20 plus people in the central business district or along the beach front would be helpful," Sutton said.
Sutton also suggested adjusting the current public permit ordinance to broaden what type of events require a public permit, and even increasing funding to the police department.
But, the city’s attorney warned any new ordinance or changes to current laws could take weeks to go into effort due to the legal process. He says the most immediate action council could take is asking the police to increase patrols, something Sutton believes would take more money and officers.
"We need to figure out some solutions here that can be meaningful and obviously one of those is helping to fund our police department and get additional resources," Sutton said.
Rory Diamond is the Jacksonville City Council representative for District 13 which includes Jacksonville Beach.
“We've got an entire Jacksonville City Council that will absolutely support whatever the beaches need when it comes to security. I don't think they actually are going to ask for any more money. But if they did, you know the lines of communication are open because we've got leaders on both sides who care about the community being safe," Rory Diamond, the Jacksonville City Council District 13 representative, said.
He says he hasn't received a formal request for more funding, but he is open to hearing what council needs.
"Every year you do this like security plan, you figure out what are the big weekends, do we need you know changes for parking we do changes for curfews, and we've got great leaders out there who work with our police and I'm sure they'll do the right thing," Diamond said.
The Jacksonville Beach Mayor said right now these are all ideas, nothing has been formally proposed.