CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – On a day when thousands of boaters pack into a tight stretch of the St. Johns River for Boater Skip Day, Clay County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brooks Morrell’s office is a boat.
Morrell has spent the last three and a half years on the agency’s Marine Unit, a job he said fits him.
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“I have a passion for being on the water,” Morrell told News4JAX during a ride-along Friday. “I’ve always wanted to be a police officer since I was back in the military early 2000s. And just to be able to work the street and work the boat and be in law enforcement out here on the water. It’s the perfect job for me.”
Boater Skip Day — a sandbar tradition that draws large crowds — is also one of the biggest days of the year for deputies patrolling by water. With boats packed side-by-side and music drifting across the river, Morrell said the sheriff’s office relies on coordination with agencies across Northeast Florida to keep response times quick.
“We have everybody from Nassau County all the way to Volusia County sent out a boat to assist with us,” Morrell said.
That help doesn’t happen at the last minute, he said. Morrell said the planning starts months ahead of time.
On the water, the calls can come fast. Morrell said deputies stay connected by radio and monitor designated zones around the sandbar.
“Not five minutes of us getting out here — someone called in and said there’s a boat floating south on the river with nobody on it,” Morrell said.
While deputies are prepared for law enforcement issues, Morrell said many of the problems they see are medical — especially in the heat.
“Heat-related illnesses,” he said. “Unfortunately, there will be some alcohol-related illnesses. That’s our main things that we run into.”
He said one of the most common mistakes at crowded sandbar gatherings is improper anchoring, especially when tides change over several hours.
For Morrell, Boater Skip Day is part crowd management and part rescue readiness — staying close enough to step in quickly when something goes wrong while letting people enjoy the day.
“It’s a great event,” he said. “Our main goal out here is to make sure everybody’s having a good time.”
“It’s just another day on the Marine unit,” he said.