ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Orange Park Police and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office stepped up patrols at Get Air Trampoline Park on Friday after online rumors described an unauthorized “takeover” event at the facility.
Leo Davis, general manager at Get Air, said staff and law enforcement coordinated extra safety measures to keep families safe.
“We want everybody to feel safe and everybody to come and know that it’s okay and it’s a safe place to come,” Davis told News4JAX.
The manager went on to describe the operational changes put into place that were meant to limit large, unsupervised groups and make exits orderly.
“What we got going on, if there’s a group of kids that’s coming up and they look like they’re a little rowdy, we’re going to let them in one at a time,” he explained. “If it’s too many, we’re just going to lock the doors.”
Davis said staff are using wristbands and “call time” sheets to manage how long guests stay and to make it easier to spot people who should have left.
“So let’s say if you came in, you only came in for an hour, and we gave everybody with an orange wristband,” Davis said. “Now it’s time for you to leave the park. Lifeguards are out there checking to make sure that the right colors are out here; if they don’t have the right color, then we’ll ask them to leave.”
Customers praised the precautions.
Kim Simms, a grandmother who regularly brings grandchildren to Get Air, said she appreciated the staff and police watching the parking lot.
“I am very glad that they’re even caring about the outside of it and not allowing anybody inside that could hurt the young kids that are in or any of the kids, but especially the young ones,” Simms said.
Police said most young people they stopped in the parking lot were not connected to the rumored takeover and had come to jump at the trampoline park.
Officers would occasionally approach unaccompanied children to confirm they were there legitimately.
The heightened alert in Clay County followed recent unauthorized takeover events in Brunswick and Jacksonville Beach, including a Jacksonville Beach incident in which five teenagers were shot.
Local businesses and law enforcement said those events prompted a more cautious response to any similar rumors.
Davis warned that the nearby police station can respond quickly and discouraged anyone from organizing a takeover at the park
“I would not recommend it. The police station is not even five minutes away. We can walk to the police station and that’s how quick they’ll be here,” he noted.
Orange Park police and Get Air staff remained on site and visible through the afternoon and evening to ensure the facility stayed open for families without incident.