JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Free shredding will be offered in three of the EverBank Field parking lots on Friday.
The event will be held in Lots Y, W, and XX, which are north of the Jacksonville Fairgrounds off A. Philip Randolph Boulevard. (see map)
The hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event scheduled for Saturday is being postponed to May 16 because of conflicting events happening in the Sports Complex area this weekend.
The final Shredder Day will be 7 a.m. to noon May 16 in EverBank Field lots W, Y, XX.
The number of people trying to take advantage of Thursday's free shredding overwhelmed streets in the area, and the event was shut down by troopers outside the Winn-Dixie on Normandy Boulevard.
The event began at noon but within an hour, traffic was backed up to Interstate 295 and the Florida Highway Patrol determined it was a traffic hazard.
"It was like a zoo. It was bad," Earl Mullis said. "We came down here before 12 o'clock and had to go down Normandy and circle back around to get in line to come back this way to get in line there, and we were probably here about 45 minutes and were low on gas. I was afraid I was going to run out of gas before we could get up there."
Many people circled the parking lot long after the event shut down, expecting to see shredders but finding none.
"I was absolutely ready for it," Marilyn said. "I've been saving my stuff, and even this morning I went out into my filing cabinets and got out even more stuff, and I've got the back of my car loaded, and now I'm very disappointed."
Only a few people were actually able to get their documents shredded Thursday.
"It was very bad," Judy Cross said. "They had cars packed on this side. Cars were coming from this side. Cars were trying to cross that way, so I said, 'I'll just wait a while.'"
That's when the FHP stepped in and said the backup was causing a safety hazard.
"People aren't expecting traffic to be stopped in different areas so what happens is they're approaching the area of congestion, they may not realize it, and they run into the back of a stopped car," FHP spokesman Sgt. Dylan Bryan said.
FHP said the congestion might also make it hard for law enforcement and emergency vehicles to get through the area, so the area needed to be cleared. And even though that meant lost time and gas and effort for some, many at the event took it all in stride.
"It's working patience. That's all. Patience," Jannie Young said.
People were disappointed but said they are happy that there is still a service like this, and they will do their best to try to make it to other Shredder Days.
Channel 4 is partnering with Shred-it, Family Foundations, Memorial Hospital and Winn-Dixie for the events.
Free on-site shredding by certified employees will be available at the EverBank Field lots Friday and May 16. There is a limit of five boxes of paper per visit, but people with more are free to return to the back of the line and come through with more. No binders, binder clips or credit cards.
From drop-off to destruction, all documents will be constantly monitored and protected.
Those dropping off documents to be shredded should be in line at least 30 minutes prior to the end time of the event.
This Positively Jax event is presented in partnership with Memorial Hospital, Shred-it, Family Foundations and Winn-Dixie as a service to help people and small businesses protect themselves from identity theft.
Last year, almost 7,000 people came to one of three locations over three days, bringing about 100,000 pounds of documents to be shredded.
News4Jax's shredder days are part of Jacksonville's Fourth Annual Wise Money Week.