It’s Time to Protect a Lot of People From Extreme Heat

A group of Fernandina Beach residents, city and county officials, and nonprofit organizations have joined forces to protect people at risk for heat-related illness this summer. The local Extreme Heat Coalition aims to launch a local warning system to alert people to extreme-heat days and establish one or more local “cooling centers.”

In remarks before the July 2 Fernandina Beach City Commission meeting, Sarah Flint, the environmental stewardship ministry leader at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Fernandina Beach, called extreme heat “America’s most life-threatening weather-related event.”  A 2024 World Meteorological Organization report noted that 2023 was the hottest year on record.

“Extreme heat kills more Americans every year than tornadoes or rip currents,” Flint told city commissioners. “Protecting residents and visitors from extreme heat is the right thing to do. And pragmatically, there is a cost to doing nothing.”

The Extreme Heat Coalition is compiling a list of public places that can double as cooling centers, said Len Kreger, a former vice mayor of Fernandina Beach. Kreger spearheaded the formation of the coalition. The coalition also made a presentation to the Board of Nassau County Commissioners on July 8 to ask for help in identifying and publicizing cooling centers.

“A cooling center is somewhere you can go and sit down and take a break,” Kreger said. “We hope to have a list of cooling centers out by the end of the month, including cooling centers in West Nassau County.”

Kreger said he hopes to begin publicizing a list of places, including hours of operation, by the end of July. The coalition has also talked about other aid measures, such as installing misting systems and identifying hydration centers.

But, Kreger said, “August is the hottest month; we need to do something now. Then we will move on to other stuff. The city is receptive. The county is receptive.”

Cooling centers will likely include the city library as well as city facilities like the Atlantic Recreation Center, Peck Center and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center. The coalition is also encouraging city, county and emergency management officials to add a web feature on their respective home pages that would prominently display the heat index and other helpful information. Even information on where people can access drinking fountains would be useful, he said.

“The key is to get the word out to everyone,” Kreger said. “When the police see somebody in distress, they can say, ‘It’s pretty hot out. You need to get hydrated and go somewhere.’ ”

The local efforts reflect a growing trend across the United States to confront the health risks posed by climate change and the growing number of extremely hot weather days and severe storms. On July 2, the U.S. Department of Labor released a proposed rule aimed at protecting workers from significant health risks linked to extreme heat. The rule, if finalized, would reduce heat-related injuries by requiring employers to evaluate heat risks and -- when extreme heat increases risks to workers -- implement requirements for drinking water, rest breaks and control of indoor heat.

Protection of people who work in hot indoor areas, such as kitchens and warehouses, as well as people who work outdoors is of growing concern, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022, the federal government launched the National Emphasis Program — Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards program, which authorizes the federal government to conduct inspections of workplaces with the highest exposures to heat-related hazards.

Extreme-heat organizations are forming nationwide. The City of Miami has appointed a Chief Heat Officer while the City of Tampa has launched a plan to provide more shade structures in the city.

However, the State of Florida has bucked the trend of confronting heat-related illness. Earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning local measures designed to protect outdoor workers -- such as agricultural, landscape and construction workers -- from extreme heat exposure. The state statute also bars local officials from taking measures to protect individuals who work in stifling indoor areas, such as kitchens, correctional facilities or warehouses.

An estimated 1, 220 people die from extreme heat each year in the United States, according to the CDC. Locally, Baptist Nassau Medical Center treated 42 heat-related illnesses last year, Flint said.

Hundreds of local residents could benefit from cooling centers, Kreger said, noting that some homes lack air conditioning or suffer from AC malfunctions. People who live on the streets and low-income individuals are most in need of extreme-heat protection, Zen Waters, a volunteer who works with several nonprofit organizations on Amelia Island, told city commissioners at the July 2 meeting.

“Maybe they have a house and a roof over their heads, but their air conditioning doesn’t work well,” Waters said.