by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Masses of partygoers won’t be the only ones hitting the streets for New Year’s Eve — the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and numerous area businesses will be out in full force for a variety of reasons.
For JSO, it’ll be securing the roadways from drivers who have had too much to drink — New Year’s Eve is one of the top days for alcohol related driving offenses — and keeping other motorists safe.
“Well, it’s going to be real busy obviously,” said David Stevens, chief of Patrol East for JSO. “The entertainment districts are going to be hopping.”
Establishments are able to stay open until 4 a.m., he said, but won’t be allowed to serve alcohol after the normal 2 a.m. cutoff.
Though Stevens declined to reveal how many additional officers would be on the streets tonight, Stevens said the organization’s “presence will be felt” by people enjoying the evening and will include DUI checkpoints and roaming unmarked cars.
Stevens said he anticipated this New Year’s celebrations to be increased slightly from recent years due to the influx of fans in town for this year’s Konica MInolta Gator Bowl Thursday between Nebraska and Clemson.
“Both fan bases (of Clemson and Nebraska) travel well and there are more people here celebrating,” he said. “I think we’ll see a little bit of an increase in activity.”
Each patrol zone will have additional officers, said Stevens, and manpower hours will be shifted from daytime to evening hours to compensate.
“The Sheriff’s Office wants people to have a good time,” said Stevens, “but they need to do it in a responsible way.”
Responsibility can come in numerous forms for organizations that often see the evening as one of their busiest of the year.
Designated Drivers of Jacksonville, a designated driver for hire service, has almost booked its entire 25-driver staff for the evening initially, said owner Robert Dejesus.
“Business has been picking up for the holidays,” said Dejesus. “New Year’s is the busiest night we have.”
When called, a two-person team travels to the caller’s location and drives the person and their car home. During the holiday season, the flat rate is $50, which differs from the normal base rate and milage cost.
Dejesus said he anticipates more calls leading up to the evening and though his staff is nearly booked the service will still be available. However, the customer might have a slight wait.
Area AAA Auto Club South tow truck drivers will also be on the roads helping intoxicated patrons in need of a safe ride home via the organization’s continued partnership with Budweiser though the “AAA Tow to Go” program.
Now in its 10th year, the service is available to both AAA members and non-members and has helped more than 8,600 drunk drivers stay off the road, according to its Web site.
“It has been a busy year for the program,” said Tow to Go program representative Joanna Newton. “New Year’s is an especially busy time for our drivers.”
Normally, peak time for association tow truck drivers is during rush hour, she said, but for New Year’s hours get shifted. For the evening, more than 2,000 tow truck drivers will be on call for the service, she said.
“Most of our calls for the period come between 12 and 2 a.m. instead of during rush hour,” she said. “It’s definitely a change for our guys, but they willingly do it. In the 10 years since the program has been in place, I haven’t had one driver come to me and complain.”
The service has grown each year in terms of calls, but Newton said she couldn’t anticipate what the call load would be tonight.
For more information on Designated Drivers of Jacksonville, go to www.designateddriversofjax.com. For more information on the “Tow to Go” program, call 1-800-222-4357.
356-2466