Tallahassee residents diving into summer with all public pools open for the second year
Splish, splash, the pools are back.
For the second consecutive year, all 11 of Tallahassee's public pools will be open this summer, signaling a rebound following the effects of a lifeguard shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two of the city’s pools, the Trousdell Aquatics Center on John Knox Road and Wade Wehunt in Myers Park, are open now in time for residents to celebrate May as Water Safety Month. Memorial Day Weekend will launch the opening of the city’s nine additional pool sites, located across seven of the community centers in town.
During the summer of 2020, safety restrictions were implemented to protect people from contracting COVID-19 which led to the closure of all pools across the city. In 2021, only Trousdell Aquatics Center and Wade Wehunt were open because of a shortage of certified lifeguards – a trend that continues in cities across the country, but reversed in Tallahassee.
The city's aquatics supervisor Leslie Adams says each year, many lifeguards are returnees, and one year without lifeguards caused a drought at several pools.
“We’re doing good,” Adams said Tuesday while sitting in her office at Trousdell. “And, we had a really good retention rate from last year. So, a lot of people that worked last year are still planning to work this summer. So, we’re really excited about that.”
Nationally, more than 300,000 pools will be closed this summer, according to the American Lifeguard Association. Spokesperson Wyatt Werneth says this number may be reduced in the following months, as many pools and beaches are still actively recruiting, including here in Tallahassee.
“COVID continued to affect us even after the fact,” Werneth told the Tallahassee Democrat Tuesday from Cocoa Beach, Florida. “No one could recruit, so there were no trained lifeguards when the season came. Then there were other competitive markets, between retail stores and restaurants offering comparable pay. So training for a lifeguard position was knocked down.”
Tallahassee makes the job attractive
In 2022, the city of Tallahassee implemented incentives to increase the number of trained lifeguards on payroll. Between a pay increase from $8.80 to $12.50 an hour, a waiver of training fees, and by offering flexible scheduling, the city was able to re-open six pools for full hours of operation that year.
Previous Coverage – Swim Tallahassee: Things going swimmingly at city pools with lifeguard shortages abated
“We always hire absolutely as many lifeguards as possible,” Adams said. “Then if we have extra, it makes it easier for people to get shifts covered and go on vacation.”
Adams says there is an almost 65% retention rate for returning lifeguards, who still must complete lifeguard classes with the newbies, which includes an online course and in-person training. This ensures lifeguards are retaining fresh skills, after many have taken a long break from these seasonal positions. A drug screening and background check is also included in pre-employment requirements.
Camille Montgomery, an 18-year-old graduating senior at Leon High School, is returning for her third year as a lifeguard before she heads to Tallahassee Community College this fall to study nursing.
"I stayed because it's just a good environment to be in," Montgomery said, after descending from her lifeguard post at the Trousdell Aquatic Center. "The schedule was flexible. I didn't have to go through too much to work around it. My supervisor was very flexible with my school work and through softball (at school) throughout the fall."
Montgomery went on to say being a lifeguard has been her first and only job, and she plans to continue with the position throughout her college experience.
For more information
For hours of operation and how to become a lifeguard, visit www.talgov.com/parks/aquatics.
Democrat writer Mycah Brown can be reached at MJBrown@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: No more lifeguard crisis: Tallahassee pools open Memorial Day weekend
