Spring Break season kicks off in Panama City Beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Spring break is now in full swing in Panama City Beach, and beach officials are doing all they can to ensure everyone’s safety.

Officials said it starts with education. More than 300 double red flags have been given to beach vendors to line the shore on days the water is rough. This is to inform visitors that the water is closed.

Officials are also fully staffing their portion of the beach with 8 employees a day. At the same time, they’ll work with other agencies such as the Bay County Sheriff’s Department and Panama City Beach, beach safety.

“Preventative action is our number one goal,” said Dustin Marsden, the Surf Rescue Battalion Chief for Bay County. “If we can stop a rescue from even becoming a thing then we’ve won the day for sure. So I would say preventative actions are what we do, so we try to talk to anyone that comes to the sand. Anyone that we see going towards rip currents we will stop them, hey just so you know rip current is here, you should probably swim this way or that way. Whichever is the safer area for them to swim in.”

Officials stated they can see anywhere from 10-15 thousand people a day. So, ensuring all parties involved are on the same page is essential.

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