by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
It’s one of the biggest weekends of the year in terms of the number of visiting football fans who will be wandering the streets Downtown to celebrate, eat and – especially – drink. This year, however, there will be a new element added to the festivities surrounding the Oct. 28 Georgia-Florida football game.
There will be two “Sideline Student Safety Zones” staffed by volunteers from the University of Georgia and the University of Florida plus the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Fire & Rescue and the City’s Office of Special Events. One will be located at the Welcome Center on Gator Bowl Boulevard near Alltel Stadium and there will be a second location inside Independent Square across the street from the Landing. Both facilities will offer taxis and trolley rides as well as water and snacks, telephones and computer access, maps and first aid. They will also be open until 3 a.m.
The JSO will have a mobile command post parked near the Landing and Independent Square will be the site of JSO’s operating hub for officers working in the area, said David Stevens, chief of the JSO’s special events and community affairs division.
“The Safety Zone is in response to the incidents we’ve had in the past two years,” said Stevens, referring to the students who died during the game weekends.
Fans who get lost, get separated from their friends or have had too much to drink can come to the sites for assistance, Stevens said, without fear of being arrested for underage drinking or public intoxication.
“As long as they behave in an orderly fashion, they won’t have a problem,” he said. “We don’t want students to stay away if they have been drinking. We don’t want them to be wandering around and be the victim of a crime.”
He added that in addition to the JSO mounted units, the Orange County sheriff’s department will be bringing their officers and horses here for the weekend.
“Mounted units are the best crowd control you can have,” said Stevens.
By providing a safe haven, transportation and other services, the idea is to make sure everyone gets home after the game.
“The City, both universities and the JSO are going to do everything in our power to make Georgia-Florida a safe and fun experience for the fans,” said Stevens.