The Brevard County Commission will consider an agreement Tuesday allowing the nonprofit Drown Zero International to set up 41 stations on its beaches to help prevent drownings.
This comes as the county and its municipalities are debating who should cover the cost of lifeguards on beaches within the cities.
Former Brevard lifeguard chief Wyatt Werneth founded Drown Zero and created the stations as a "force enhancer" for beach safety.
They contain a flotation ring and reminders to call 911 in emergencies and always swim near a lifeguard.
Werneth hopes to add technology elements, as well, an alert system paired with an app and GPS trackers, too.
He said he wants to place the stations at all 210 public beach access points in Brevard County and by hotels and Airbnbs.
"We have 102 right now in Brevard County beaches from Cape Canaveral down to Melbourne Beach. We are negotiating with the county, the city of Indialantic and the Patrick Space Force Base," he said.
The rings have been used 20 times already this year, Werneth said. "One location utilized three of the rings and prevented drowning. So hopefully we can have a 2024 with zero drownings. We had 14 last year in 2023. And that's far too many."
The proposed county agreement lists 26 locations, with most having one station but some having as many as five.
Drown Zero is one of the efforts supported by Florida's best-selling specialty license plate, Endless Summer, through the Surfing's Evolution and Preservation Foundation.
Drown Zero has also teamed up with local Rotary Clubs, which have found sponsors for some of the stations.
