A judge's ruling this week means Jacksonville Beach voters will indeed have a chance to decide the fate of the Volunteer Life Saving Corps. Volunteers had patrolled the city's beaches part-time since 1912 until recent legal concerns arose.
Monday the Jacksonville Beach City Council turned down a proposed ballot referendum that would have left it up to voters in November to determine if volunteer lifeguards could go back on duty alongside paid Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue guards.
Council members praised the work of the volunteer corps over the decades but said they were concerned the referendum was not legally valid for several reasons.
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