JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — After months of back and forth, The City of Jacksonville Beach and the Volunteer Life Saving Corps (VLSC) have reportedly reached an agreement to cooperatively serve the community.
The city says the agreement will be brought before the Jacksonville Beach City Council for a vote on April 17.
If the agreement is approved, the city says VLSC will withdraw its pending lawsuit and resume services in tandem with Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue (JBOR) starting Memorial Day.
Since 1912, volunteers have helped city-paid lifeguards patrol four miles of Jacksonville Beach when the city did not have lifeguards on duty, mainly on Sundays and holidays.
However, in 2021, the US Department of Labor fined the City of Jacksonville Beach for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage and overtime laws for allowing Ocean Rescue lifeguards to volunteer without pay.
That's where it gets messy.
On March 9, 2022, the city sent a 9-month notice to the Volunteer Life Savings Corps (VLSC) about the end of the agreement.
Less than a month later, on April 5, the City of Jacksonville Beach sent another notice to the volunteers that their service would be terminated immediately due to "disruptive behavior".
The city also barred VLSC from access to the Station by changing the locks on the building.
As a result, VLSC then filed a lawsuit against the City in April 2022.
In attempts to reach a resolution, the city says it's been attending mediations with the VLSC. The first one was held on March 6 of this year, and again on April 11.
Documents indicate that at the April 11 mediation, the parties were able to reach an agreement.
So what does the new agreement entail? Most importantly, the agreement complies with federal and state law. It also includes a five-year term, with an option for a five-year renewal. The agreement states that the VLSC will provide services on Sundays and holidays, supplementing Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue efforts and will have access to, and provide services from, the lifeguard station.
The city says the historic lifesaving station will remain on the historic registry and be used by both organizations for operations, trainings and meetings.
“It took a lot of time and effort to re-imagine this relationship, and I’m thankful to everyone who rolled up their sleeves to make it happen," said Mayor Chris Hoffman. "This is a new era between the two organizations and with it, a new opportunity to grow and work, together.”
“This agreement, most importantly, serves the safety interests of residents and visitors while honoring the traditions of excellence and professionalism from JBOR and VLSC,” says Jim Emery, President of the VLSC Board of Directors. “We look forward to continuing our 112-year history of services and the 90+year-old relationship between both of these exceptional organizations.”