Thank you to our Friends & Neighbors who contribute each year to SGCVFD, Inc., from the Cape, Indian Pass, Simmons & Money Bayou, 30A, Jones Homestead & surrounding areas. Thanks to your generous donations to this non-profit, we have been able to enhance the equipment used to directly provide emergency services to our community. For this organization, the community is our membership and we only exist because of your donations. Our Board of Directors is elected each year by the community we serve, and our meetings are always open to the public. We have almost 20 years of continued service to this community we all treasure.

There always seems to be some confusion as to how your donations to SGCVFD, Inc. are used and how that compares to the taxes you pay for emergency services here in Gulf County. Please let me shed some light on the difference and why your donations are so critical to the services you have demanded and become accustomed. While we are all aware of the property taxes we pay, it may not be known that a portion of those taxes are allocated to South Gulf Fire and Rescue (SGFR) for fire suppression operations and training. Florida law mandates that those tax dollars cannot be used for any other purposes.

You are probably aware that SGFR also provides the community with trained and certified Emergency First Responders, trained and certified Water Rescue services, and an elaborate Beach Flag program spanning from the State Park to the boat ramp in Indian Pass. That is where your donations become the life blood of emergency services in our community. Since SGFR cannot use tax receipts for these critical services that are unique to this area of Gulf County, SGCVFD, Inc. fills that void. Since our nonprofit organization was founded in 2006, we have provided over $1.1 million of your donations back to the community to make it safer for residents and vacationing guests as well as helping out our neighbors in need when disaster strikes.

Your donations go directly to ensure that our 100% VOLUNTEER First Responders are on the front lines ready for emergency calls. We have provided funding for equipment, training, and liability insurance for SGFR first responders to ensure that our community has trained medical personnel on the scene before the highly skilled Gulf County EMS technicians can make it to the incident, which can take up to 45 minutes.

Our community continues to grow as new homes are continually being built, both for full-time residents and those who use their property for investment purposes. As the number of residents and tourists increase, Water Rescue & Beach Safety continues to be an important focus. SGCVFD, Inc., using your generous donations, just provided over $42,500 to purchase a 2023 Toyota Tacoma to replace one of the current vehicles that had experienced significant wear and tear given the harsh saltwater environment here along the coast. We also purchased two new Jet-Skis in the past few years, allowing SGFR to provide expanded coverage to the area while also ensuring compliance with governing regulations for water rescue operations. 

In addition, our Beach Flag alert system, with 20 Flag Pole Stations and almost 50 Beach Safety Team Volunteers, provides important information to beach-goers from Spring Break to Thanksgiving each year. In this coming year, we will provide funding to replace about one-third of the flagpoles that have weathered several storms in recent years. In addition, several new flag locations are planned to be added along our beach from Indian Pass to the T H Stone State Park. Your donations go directly to replenish this equipment, giving peace of mind for tens of thousands of visitors to our beaches every year. Beach Flag information can be found on the SGFR FaceBook page (which is shared daily to several other FaceBook pages) and broadcasted daily on WOYS Oyster Radio 106.5 FM. SGCVFD, Inc. is also there to help our community in need. We provided donations to help several individuals and businesses cover expenses and rebuild after recent devastating fires in the community. In addition, we have provided funding to The Citizens of Gulf County Recovery Team to purchase smoke/CO2 alarms for homes being built/rebuilt in Gulf County. SGCVFD, Inc. will continue to help our community in need when requested and warranted.

So how can you help?

Our community has a long and rich history of providing for its neighbors by continuing to fund the emergency services that we count on year after year. If you are able, we would like to request that each of you donate $250 to SGCVFD, Inc. to help provide these critical services that tax dollars do not, and cannot, cover. We ask that you please be as generous as you were last year and help us support the 100% VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT and this community. If you were unable to contribute in the past, please consider joining your neighbors who have stepped forward to help make our community the amazingly great and safe place that it is.

How can you donate?

Click ‘Donate Here’ above to donate directly to our organization, and you can browse our website for more information on our organization. If you prefer to send us a check, please mail your donations to:

SGCVFD, Inc.

P.O. Box 163

Port St Joe, FL 32457

Please do not drop off or mail checks to either SGFR Fire Station as they will not be delivered to our nonprofit.

We are continually looking for ways to expand our reach into the community. If you have suggestions or ideas on how SGCVFD, Inc. can give back to the community further, please do not hesitate to contact us at sgfire501@gmail.com. This time we ask YOU to answer OUR call for help! We sincerely appreciate the support our community has given us in the past 20 years. We look forward to continuing that commitment to use your donations effectively and with accountability. We thank you for contributing to our organization.

Rick Cederholm

President, SGCVFD, Inc.