Grand Haven students learn to ‘flip, float, follow'
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Aiming to reduce the number of drownings in the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project has conducted more than 100 water safety presentations so far this year and more than 1,200 in the Midwest since 2011.
On Wednesday, it presented to fifth and sixth graders at White Pines Intermediate School in Grand Haven, teaching students what it looks like to be in trouble while in the water and survival strategies like 'flip, float and follow' to escape a dangerous current.
Staying safe near the water this summer
The presentation honored the memory of 17-year-old Andy Fox, who drowned in 2003 after being caught in a rip current in Lake Michigan. His mother Vicki Cech now educates others on the dangers of the Great Lakes.
'The big thing was to try and create awareness here,' Cech said. 'Because we didn't know. A lot of people had never heard of rip currents in Lake Michigan. So we wanted to make people aware and the kids what to do and how to be safe and not get into the situation that Andy was in.'
There have been over 1,300 drownings in the five Great Lakes since 2010, according to data compiled by the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. Cech said a number is too high.
'Knowledge is everything. These kids, if they know what to do, they're either going to stay out of the water because they know there is a danger there, or they're going to know what to do if they do get into trouble.'
Red flag or green, advocates urge caution on Lake Michigan
The group is also using their platform as a means to bring awareness to two bills moving through Michigan's Legislature — Senate Bill 295 and House Bill 4477 — both proposing a statewide water safety program for K-12 students focusing on topics like flotation devices, water conditions and basic rescue and resuscitation techniques as a part of physical education classes.
'We are way behind with water safety education in the United States as well as the Great Lakes region,' program director Dave Benjamin said. 'It is of utmost importance that we have water safety education in schools.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Grand Haven students learn to ‘flip, float, follow'
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Aiming to reduce the number of drownings in the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project has conducted more than 100 water safety presentations so far this year and more than 1,200 in the Midwest since 2011. On Wednesday, it presented to fifth and sixth graders at White Pines Intermediate School in Grand Haven, teaching students what it looks like to be in trouble while in the water and survival strategies like 'flip, float and follow' to escape a dangerous current. Staying safe near the water this summer The presentation honored the memory of 17-year-old Andy Fox, who drowned in 2003 after being caught in a rip current in Lake Michigan. His mother Vicki Cech now educates others on the dangers of the Great Lakes. 'The big thing was to try and create awareness here,' Cech said. 'Because we didn't know. A lot of people had never heard of rip currents in Lake Michigan. So we wanted to make people aware and the kids what to do and how to be safe and not get into the situation that Andy was in.' There have been over 1,300 drownings in the five Great Lakes since 2010, according to data compiled by the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. Cech said a number is too high. 'Knowledge is everything. These kids, if they know what to do, they're either going to stay out of the water because they know there is a danger there, or they're going to know what to do if they do get into trouble.' Red flag or green, advocates urge caution on Lake Michigan The group is also using their platform as a means to bring awareness to two bills moving through Michigan's Legislature — Senate Bill 295 and House Bill 4477 — both proposing a statewide water safety program for K-12 students focusing on topics like flotation devices, water conditions and basic rescue and resuscitation techniques as a part of physical education classes. 'We are way behind with water safety education in the United States as well as the Great Lakes region,' program director Dave Benjamin said. 'It is of utmost importance that we have water safety education in schools.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Undaunted by the opposition, Jolly's platform includes a massive boost to public education with a 30% increase in teacher salaries, a corruption and ethics reform package for elected officials, and expanding access to abortion, among other issues. But probe Jolly about why he is running and it becomes clear he wants to be a governor who cleanses the state of Gov. Ron DeSantis' culture wars, such as championing Florida as a leader in mass deportation of immigrants. 'I think that culture wars have broken who we are as a community. I think that culture wars have shattered who we are as a state. I think they are ugly, they're divisive, and they should be condemned,' Jolly said. 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Three years ago on MSNBC, after DeSantis signed the Stop Woke Act, which restricts how schools discuss racism, gender, and social privileges and prohibits lessons focused on how they impact society, Jolly said he and his wife Laura considered moving out of Florida to raise their two children elsewhere. "Why would I want to raise my kids in an environment in which they're shamed for embracing diversity of thought and diverse cultures," Jolly said. But they decided to stay and fight a state Republican Party that he said has doubled down on a culture-war agenda. His candidacy is a notable feature in the current political landscape: He's the first Democrat with any statewide name recognition, largely due to his TV punditry, to announce for governor. Jolly, a Dunedin native with deep ties to Tampa politics, served as an aide to the late Republican Congressman Bill Young for 19 years. 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Democrats also lost two seats in the Florida House and watched two more members flee to join the Republican majority. The House breakdown now is 86 GOP, 33 Democratic, with one vacancy. Then the Senate Democratic leader at the time, Jason Pizzo of Miami-Dade County, resigned and quit the party, declaring it "dead." Pizzo since has said he will launch a gubernatorial campaign as an independent. Democratic megadonor John Morgan, who financed ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage and allow the use of medical marijuana, said he is considering starting a new party and running for governor. 'Jolly is a nice guy looking for a lane to be relevant,' Morgan said when asked if a Jolly candidacy changes whether he will decide to mount a gubernatorial bid. It doesn't: 'For the short run I agree with DeSantis that the Democratic Party is dead meat,' Morgan said. Morgan also agrees with Jolly that affordability, which he refers to as income inequality, will be the No. 1 issue in 2026. He's sticking with his plan of watching the race develop and waiting until 'the horses are coming down the stretch,' which would be around the Aug. 2026 primary, to decide whether to run. In the meantime, Democrats continue to lose voters as Republicans have registered more voters than Democrats for seven straight years. 'I think trends don't last forever," said University of Central Florida political scientist Aubrey Jewett. "At some point, Republican gains are going to level off and Democratic losses are going to stop, right? "But every month I look and here we are. Seven years later and it still hasn't stopped,' Jewett added. The GOP now has a one-million voter registration advantage over Democrats in Florida. Jewett said if Pizzo and Morgan were to get into the race, the odds would tilt heavily towards the GOP candidate. 'If you're the Republican candidate, you've got to feel pretty good about a four-way race. They are the dominant party and most of their voters are not going to abandon the party while the other three candidates split the anti-GOP vote,' Jewett said. But Jolly sees the public rejecting much of what Republicans in Tallahassee are offering. He said 2026 will be a once-in-a-generation election in which a dramatic change is possible and a reset of Florida politics can occur. The candidate has set February benchmarks for fundraising and polls as milestones to determine whether he can wage a competitive campaign. 'My job is to build a coalition where I reach independent and disaffected voters. If I build that coalition and demonstrate a viable path to winning then we will have built a coalition that Jason Pizzo and John Morgan, as well as John and Sally Smith down the street, can believe in and we will win,' Jolly said. James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@ and is on X as @CallTallahassee. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: David Jolly joins race for governor – with direct attack on DeSantis
