JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville is kicking off summer with a splash.
The city is opening 30 community pools this Memorial Day weekend, with an additional pool slated to open later this summer.
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Mayor Donna Deegan and Daryl Joseph, director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, are expected to make the announcement Friday, May 22, at Blue Cypress Park Pool, located at 5461 Golf Course Dr.
The pool openings mark a significant improvement from when Deegan first took office in 2023, when roughly half of the city’s pools were operational. The city has since invested in getting more pools up and running.
Kenneth Woods, a Jacksonville resident, says the progress is noticeable.
“That’s better than last year. That’s a lot better than last year,” Woods said.
For Woods, the pool openings are personal. His children grew up swimming at Adolph Wurn Pool — one of the pools not yet open this weekend — and he’s hoping his 7-year-old granddaughter will soon be able to swim there, too.
“My kids grew up, they swam in this pool,” he said. “I’d like to see her swimming again. Hope to teach her how to swim completely. She just turned seven, but it’s time for the swimmies to come off there,” Woods added.
The city says it has approximately 300 lifeguards on staff and feels confident pools will be fully staffed. However, officials are still looking for additional qualified lifeguards and are encouraging interested residents to apply.
Pool hours
Memorial Day weekend hours:
- Saturday, May 23: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, May 24: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Monday, May 25: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Pre-season hours (May 23–31, Saturdays and Sundays only):
- Saturday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Regular season hours (Saturday, June 6 through Sunday, Aug. 2):
- Monday–Friday: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Pools open this weekend
The following 30 pools are scheduled to open Saturday, May 23:
- Andrew Jackson High School – 128 W. 30th St.
- Baldwin Middle/High School – 345 Chestnut St. N.
- Blue Cypress Park – 4012 University Blvd N.
- Carvill Park – 1302 Carvill Ave.
- Cecil Aquatic Center – 13611 Normandy Blvd.
- Charles Clark Pool – 8739 Sibbald Rd.
- Emmett Reed Park – 1093 W. 6th St.
- Englewood High School – 4412 Barnes Rd.
- Eugene Butler Pool – 900 Acorn St.
- Fletcher High School – 700 Seagate Ave.
- Ft. Caroline Pool – 4131 Ferber Rd.
- Golfair Park Pool (C.T. Brown) – 4415 Moncrief Rd.
- Grand/Johnnie Walker Park – 2740 Division St.
- Highlands Middle School – 10913 Pine Estates Rd.
- Julius Guinyard Park – 1358 Jefferson St.
- Lakeshore Middle School – 2519 Bayview Rd.
- Mandarin High School – 4831 Greenland Rd.
- Oceanway Park – 12215 Sago Ave. W.
- Paxon High School – 3413 W. 5th St.
- Pine Forest – 2335 Gattis Ln.
- Raines High School – 3663 Raines Ave.
- Ribault High School – 5820 Van Gundy St.
- Riverside High School – 1200 S. McDuff Ave.
- Robert Kennedy Pool – 1139 Ionia St.
- Sandalwood High School – 2750 John Promenade Blvd.
- Samuel Wolfson High School – 7000 Powers Ave.
- Terry Parker High School – 7301 Parker School Rd.
- Thomas Jefferson Park – 390 N. Jackson Ave.
- Westside High School – 5530 Firestone Rd.
- Woodland Acres/Warrington Park – 8200 Kona Ave.
Three pools will not be open this weekend: Adolph Wurn Pool, Ed White High School and Eartha H. Napoleon Park. Mallison Park Pool, located at 3133 Lenox Ave., is expected to open in July.
Registration is open for the city’s Learn-to-Swim program. The first session begins June 8 at pool locations throughout Jacksonville. For more information, visit jacksonville.gov/aquatics, call (904) 255-6777 or email SplashSquad@coj.net.
The city is also still hiring lifeguards. The starting pay is $15 an hour. Interested applicants can call (904) 255-6777 or (904) 255-4272, or email bealifeguard@coj.net.
For more information on summer activities, visit JaxParks.com.