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Residents urge referendum and reopening of Martin County High School pool to expand swim safety programs
Summary
Residents and swim-safety advocates asked county and school leaders to place a Martin Swims referendum on the November ballot and to reopen the Martin County High School pool for lessons, citing Florida’s high drowning rates and limited public pool access.
Hundreds of residents and swim-safety advocates urged Martin County and school officials on Wednesday to put a ballot referendum before voters and reopen the Martin County High School pool to expand life-saving swim instruction.
Ellen Pease, speaking during public comment, said Martin County is "defined by water" and urged officials to support a referendum that would add roughly $10 per year to fund countywide swim programs so children can learn survival skills regardless of income or zip code.
Marissa McAuliffe, a firefighter-paramedic and former lifeguard, told the joint meeting that Florida continues to have one of the nation's highest drowning rates and said the county currently has only one public pool. "Access isn't truly access if it's only available during certain hours when the community can't use it," she said, urging affordable hours and programs for workers and families.
Dr. Blanche Wells, president of the nonprofit Martin Swims, described the group's goal to reestablish affordable community-pool programming and asked the boards to work together to place referendum wording on the November ballot. Neil Colvin and Dick Landrum, both Martin Swims volunteers, proposed a millage-style referendum that they said would tax property owners a small annual amount (figures mentioned ranged from "less than $8" to about $10 per property) to maintain the high-school pool and seed funds for additional pools.
School Superintendent Michael Maine said the Martin County High School pool is "open" and equipped for programs, and that the district has invested more than $650,000 in pool upgrades. He said the board's facilities-use process allows community groups to request access, but noted staffing, security and scheduling constraints for early-morning or off-hours use.
On the meeting record, Superintendent Maine said he would "set up a time to meet with Martin Swims" to explore reopening the pool in July for summer camps and swim-survival classes "if it works on both sides." Commissioners and school-board members supported compiling an inventory of government-owned properties and exploring partnerships with nonprofits and developers to increase aquatics access across the county, but they did not take any formal vote or adopt a timetable at the meeting.
The public comments included multiple offers of volunteer instruction and lifeguarding services from local providers, including SwimWithGills; speakers also asked the boards to add a formal agenda item to place referendum wording on an upcoming meeting agenda so voters can consider the proposal in November.
What’s next: Superintendent Maine said he will meet with Martin Swims to explore summer programming and potential operational models. Officials asked staff to return with property-inventory information and options for a countywide aquatics strategy for future discussion.
