Preliminary report: Never Quit event had 'possibility of mass casualties'

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — With more than a thousand participants, the annual Never Quit race is one of the fastest-growing events in the area. 

And with seemingly so much momentum from the May event comes word of a scathing after-action report from Jacksonville Beach police. According to The Beaches Leader newspaper, a police commander said the Never Quit event had the "possibility of mass casualties."

"The concern was that there was some parachuting that took place outside the schedule and there was concern that people had to be asked to move out of the area so people could land in the parachutes," said Mayor Charlie Latham.

A police spokesman told Action News that report was just a small piece of a preliminary draft and its final report has not yet been filed. The event's director said he's not worried. 

"There's no concern at all. It's just keep lines of communication open and keep working with A-plus people," said Erik Petroni.

One man did die while racing in last year's event. That's the only such occurrence in the six-year history of the race, an event Latham said he hopes and expects to return next June. 

"We're excited to keep it going. We just have to take precautions to make sure it's as safe as possible," Latham said.

WJAX