Gov. Ron DeSantis joined Clay County first responders at Spring Park in Green Cove Springs on Sept. 11 to mark 25 years since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The ceremony began with an Honor March through downtown Green Cove Springs. Local first responders from agencies across the area walked along Palmetto Avenue and Walnut Street starting at 9:15 a.m., arriving at the Spring Park gazebo for the 9:30 a.m. ceremony, according to Clay County government. Clay County Fire Rescue, the Clay County Sheriff's Office and other county agencies organized the event.

Names of Fallen First Responders Read Aloud

During the ceremony, elected officials and community leaders read the names of first responders who died in the 2001 attacks. The 9/11 Memorial records 441 first responders killed that day, the largest single-day loss of emergency responders in U.S. history, as News4JAX reported.

Governor Highlights Ongoing Health Effects

DeSantis warned the health toll continues. He cited CDC estimates that about 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants after the attacks, according to News4JAX.

"People who were in the buildings that day, the first responders who went in both that day and in the days and weeks and months after have suffered serious, serious health problems," DeSantis said. "This is very real, and it's something that still is happening to this day."

The governor also ordered flags across Florida flown at half-staff and proclaimed "Patriot Week," according to FL Voice News. He noted that Florida has established a 9/11 curriculum in its schools so students learn what happened and draw inspiration from those who responded.

County Officials, Rotary Club Also Participate

Clay County Commissioner John Sgromolo, who represents District 1 covering Fleming Island, Doctors Inlet and Lakeside, attended the ceremony. The Honor March was organized as a centerpiece of the county's remembrance.

Earlier Friday morning, the Rotary Club of Orange Park Sunrise held a separate "Flags for Heroes" ceremony at the Clay County Administration Building on Houston Street from 8 to 8:46 a.m. The club had placed flags across Clay County in the days before the anniversary.

Permanent Memorial Holds WTC Steel Beams

Clay County's permanent 9/11 Memorial stands outside Fire Station 20 in Green Cove Springs, which opened in August 2025. The memorial features two 9-foot sections of structural steel from the 68th floor of World Trade Center 1 and a Survivor Tree grown from a Callery pear that survived the original attacks. Clay County Fire Rescue and the International Association of Firefighters Local 3362 applied to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's World Trade Center Artifacts Program for the beams in 2011. The memorial is open year-round