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SoWalSally

Beach Fanatic
Feb 19, 2005
649
49
From Walton Sun

The Walton County Board of County Commissioners directed the Tourist Development Council to formulate a plan to post lifeguards at six regional beach accesses.
?(We will) advertise and have people respond and we will take the respondents back to the county so the county can make a decision on who would be best for us to contract with and we would take it from there,? Kriss Titus, TDC executive director said.
At the BCC meeting on Sept. 27 County Attorney David Hallman said the county has to show factual evidence that more people will come to the beaches if lifeguards were patrolling them in order to have TDC funds used.
In 2003, the beach safety and education committee was formed to look at ways to improve education and safety on area beaches. The issue of lifeguards has come up over and over and over and this is the recommendation the committee came up with in their last meeting, County Administrator Ronnie Bell said.
There is a tight timeline for getting lifeguards on the beaches next year.
?You have to develop a program. There is equipment to order, there are towers to be built and people to be hired and trained,? Sean Hughes, South Walton Fire District deputy chief, said.
He added that a decision needs to be made by December at the latest because you can?t put people out in the Gulf to train in January and February.
Titus said there will be lifeguards on South Walton beaches next year. She added that the TDC will develop its plan in the next two to four weeks at which time it will present it to the BCC. Inlet Beach, Miramar Beach, Gulfview Heights, Dune Allen Beach, Ed Walline Park and Santa Clara Beach are the six regional beaches the TDC is looking at placing lifeguards.
 

SHELLY

SoWal Insider
Jun 13, 2005
5,770
802
They are going to have to pay them (lifeguards) mucho bucks to live in Walton County--paying them $8 per hour just ain't gonna hack it (even if they commute using $3.50 gas).
 

Dabell

Beach Fanatic
Sep 15, 2005
471
0
New York
I feel that there should be a few lifeguards on so wal and all beaches. I think this is a good thing.
 

aquaticbiology

fishlips
May 30, 2005
799
0
redneck heaven
Hey, there's me a weekend job if I ever saw one! I have my certification and everything, plus tons of experience at the country club pool back in college. How are they going to get them to live in the county? Lifeguard types need cheap rundown apartments and plenty of parking for their surfboard-laden, rusted-out extremely-loud cars, unless they're going to pay them real wages, and that's just unheard of. Nothing like hoisting the beer-stained carcass of a hungover lifeguard onto the tower (experience). Oh, I get it, its just another expensive tourist carrot for the platinum haired and large cleavaged TDC chicks to have a drool over. If there are county lifeguards, then there will be those who will sue the county and the lifeguards because they were there when the idiot went and did something really stupid, as opposed to "Swim At Your Own Risk" signs which scream "Don't Bother Sueing, You Were Warned".
 

aquaticbiology

fishlips
May 30, 2005
799
0
redneck heaven
Now I just can't wait for the first issue of the "Lifeguards of South Walton" beefcake calendar so I can hang it in the bathroom at Panama City YMCA.

Sounds like a worthwhile trip over to Panama City to me!

HA!

And while you're at it, send one to Earl at Gulf Trace.
 

Smiling JOe

SoWal Expert
Nov 18, 2004
31,648
1,773
aquaticbiology said:
Now I just can't wait for the first issue of the "Lifeguards of South Walton" beefcake calendar so I can hang it in the bathroom at Panama City YMCA.

Sounds like a worthwhile trip over to Panama City to me!

HA!

And while you're at it, send one to Earl at Gulf Trace.

I don't know where you grew up, but I have always seen more female lifeguards than male lifeguards.
 

ShallowsNole

Beach Fanatic
Jun 22, 2005
4,292
849
Pt Washington
I would imagine that, like most of our workforce, they already live near here. "Near here" being defined as anywhere between the Gulf of Mexico and the Alabama state line, and 60 miles east or west. Possibly with Mom and/or Dad.
 

TooFarTampa

SoWal Insider
kurt said:
He doesn't have anything to do with hiring or housing. You might do best by contacting your commissioner.

http://www.sowal.com/links.html

I don't get it. The article said TDC is putting the plan together to present to the commissioners. Who would be the brain trust here?
 
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