BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — As the 2023, fiscal year comes to an end, the Bay County Tourist Development Council is reflecting on its public safety spending.
This past year, they spent $2.5 million on safety, which includes both city and county lifeguard programs. The TDC stepped up during June when double red flags and drownings had all beach agencies extremely busy.
Eight percent of the total budget goes to public safety, next year that results in just under three million dollars.
“We want to step up as we can so we will, peak visitation days when our sheriff’s office and beach police are working overtime, we fund that when it’s lifeguards, we fund that, we fund a lot of equipment that they need for life-saving activities just to make sure they again, they have the tools they need to do very difficult jobs,” Bay County Tourist Development Council Executive Director Dan Rowe said.
Rowe said the TDC also helps educate the public about beach safety, like the flag system.
