JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Martin Alla visits Jacksonville Beach almost every day.
“The people,” Alla said. “They’re humble and kind and there’s always something cool going on here and then the waves.”
He’s lived in Jacksonville for almost five years, visiting the sand and ocean with his family and friends.
But an incident on St. Patrick’s Day in 2024 left him concerned.
Several large groups gathered on the beach for the holiday and saw several unrelated shootings. The incident put the city on lockdown, and many were in a panic.
“I’m OK by myself,” Alla said. “But I don’t want to bring my family if there’s gonna be danger and drama.”
In response to the incidents, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department implemented a “zero-tolerance” policy toward unlawful activity during the spring surge. This included hiring 12 new officers and adding four sworn positions to bolster the force.
“It has changed drastic ways,” Lasalle Walker, a longtime resident of Jacksonville, said. “We’ve got a lot of police and people. They’re making sure everybody can come out here and enjoy themselves.”
The Jacksonville Beach Police Department released on Thursday a six-page report detailing the key events, strategies and results of the program.
Chief of Police Gene Paul Smith shared the results of the Spring Surge 2025 After Action Report, in which he announced there were no violent incidents during the beach’s busiest time. He also said officers prevented two unpermitted events from happening and one spontaneous event from “devolving into chaos.”
Click here to read the full report.
Smith pointed out that the St. Patrick’s Day shootings in 2024 were a “turning point” for his department and the city. For that reason, this year the police department launched a revamped strategy to maintain safety and control in the city’s busiest months.
“This is a first for me, and I am in awe of what this city and this department have accomplished,” Smith wrote in the report.
The report said 29 firearms were recovered during the surge citywide.
Police said the increased enforcement defused spontaneous gatherings like “Senior Skip Day” before tensions could rise, and strong visibility deterred illegal activity at events like “Drunk Day at Beach 3,” where four illegal firearms were recovered with no major disruptions.
Police also said the HBCU Weekend was canceled in advance, as organizers chose to align with city policy and cancel the beach portion of their event, because it wasn’t properly permitted.
Police also credited the broader community, including citizens, business owners, and elected officials for contributing to what they’re calling one of the most successful surge operations to date.
In that after action report, Chief Gene Paul Smith says, “We never have, and never will, control the behavior of a criminal intent on committing a crime, but we want to be able to look ourselves in the mirror and say the crime occurred despite our best efforts.”
