LifeSouth Community Blood Centers opened a donor center at 1250 Beach Blvd. in Jacksonville Beach.

The nonprofit blood bank's newest location gives Beaches-area residents a closer option for donating blood, rather than driving to the organization's Baymeadows or St. Augustine centers. The opening was first reported by the Jax Daily Record.


LifeSouth's announcement gives Sept. 21 as the center's opening date; its scheduling portal listed Sept. 22.

The center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Sunday and Monday.

Jacksonville's population grew by about 68,000 people, more than 7%, from April 2020 to July 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited in the release. LifeSouth pointed to that regional growth as the reason for expanding.

"The challenge for us is keeping pace with that," said Brite Whitaker, LifeSouth's director of communication and outreach.


As an opening promotion, the center offers a $50 gift card to first-time donors and a $25 e-gift card to all other donors; both also receive a free T-shirt, according to LifeSouth's release. The release does not give an end date for the offer.

J.D. Pettyjohn, LifeSouth's chief operating officer, said in the release that the Jacksonville Beach location is part of a broader push to keep blood supply local. The nonprofit also added UF Health Durbin Park Hospital to the more than 200 facilities it serves across Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

LifeSouth operates other Northeast Florida donor centers in St. Augustine, Fleming Island, Fruit Cove and at 7840 Baymeadows Way in Jacksonville. The organization is also seeking local businesses to host blood drives, which are free to organize, Whitaker said.

Residents can reach the Jacksonville Beach Donor Center at 888-795-2707.