TC Palm story.  The City of Vero Beach is also planning cuts. 

Same deal in Brevard County - they are planning massive budget cuts in the Parks and Recreation Department.  Not just lifeguards, but all county run parks, pools, senior centers, baseball and soccer fields, horse facilities, etc.  Make sure to have your voice heard at your county commission budget meetings - petitions are great too, but face to face with your commissioners is key.  Ask the county library people!

This is the sad reality of budget deficits that all public municipalities are now facing.

I attended a City Council Meeting in Venice on Tuesday and I watched two former employees (just got laid off) who had served the City for a combined 30 years thank the City for all of the great memories and the opportunity to be part of such a great city.  Really sad.

"Freedom is a package deal - with it comes responsibilities and consequences" - Unknown

They are considering slashing the year-round lifeguard program in Brevard to nothing. There will be no guards on the beach at all in late fall, winter and early spring. The people who actually care about their careers will be sent packing and college kids on break will be in charge of making sure no one drowns, in between shooting the shit and updating their facebook status.

No offence to the girl that started this topic but this is way bigger than one beach in IRC that is usually empty losing a tower. We're talking about programs here where CB attracts way more tourists...

The economics of lifeguards are a bit like the economics of home health care for the aged and disabled.  Home care is usually much cheaper and more effective than putting people in nursing homes.  But states cut home health care anyway. I'm amazed that Oregon's small, nearly-broke state government managed to avoid disaster.

Based on CDC valuing a life at about $4 million, lifeguards are highly cost effective.  Additionally, a Florida beach resort town like Panama City (which has hesitated to fund lifeguards) gets a black eye and loses tourists every time there's a bunch of drownings.  July could have been a disaster for Ft Lauderdale.

Russ Lemmon column at TC Palm explains that the lifeguard cuts were proposed by the County Administrator. He's commenting on this story

I'm puzzled by this statement:

"Critics say the county will be more vulnerable to lawsuits if beach-goers head to Treasure Shores and, despite signs warning of an absence of lifeguards, drown. But Baird said he has heard from attorneys who say the county could face stiffer lawsuits if someone drowns at a guarded beach."

This section of Florida Statutes protects counties that use a warning flag system but don't have lifeguards (this was a big deal for Panama City Beach):

Due to the inherent danger of constantly changing surf and other naturally occurring conditions along Florida's coast, the state, state agencies, local and regional government entities or authorities, and their individual employees and agents, shall not be held liable for any injury or loss of life caused by changing surf and other naturally occurring conditions along coastal areas, whether or not uniform warning and safety flags or notification signs developed by the department are displayed or posted.

Lemmon has another column today.  Loads of comments.

Drownings at places like with no lifeguards like Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and Panama City Beach damage the tourist trade.   Indian River County isn't a mass-market tourist place like the Redneck Riviera, Daytona or Lauderdale, but the beaches tend to be used heavily by people from somewhere else.