FWC PERFORMS WATER SECURITY ROLE DURING SUPERBOWL XXXIX

Feb. 8, 2005
Contact: Karen Parker, 386.758.0525

Superbowl XXXIX on the river in Jacksonville is over. The completion of the game wraps up the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) mission of providing water security along 20 miles of the St. Johns River.

The Superbowl at Alltel Stadium was the most water related in the history of the games. The primary objective of the law enforcement officers patrolling the river was to create a safe and orderly environment for the event. FWC’s role focused on boating safety, directing vessel traffic, boating under the influence enforcement, escort duties, and manatee and security zone protection.

To accomplish this marine mission, the FWC worked with other agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO), Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Florida Alcoholic Beverages and Tabacco (ABT) U.S. Border Patrol and the Nassau, Flagler, Alachua, St. Johns and Clay County Sheriff’s Offices.

According to Maj. Calvin Adams, Regional Commander for the FWC’s North Central Region, the FWC provided 51 boats and 130 people to work the water security mission before, during and after the game.

“We had two of our off-shore patrol vessels in the area. The 65-foot C.T. Randall came up from Cape Canaveral and the 55-foot Orion arrived from their patrol area in the Florida Keys to participate in this mission,” Adams explained. “In addition to these two boats, we also had a variety of other vessels. We also had quite a few FWC officers from around the state participating.”

The weather was on the nasty side until Saturday when the sun finally broke through the clouds. But a brisk wind kept the water choppy.

“Our FWC officers did an excellent job,” Adams said. “They were out there on the river, performing very cold and miserable duty, but they were successful in completing their missions.”

Click Here To Return To The Previous Page