GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – A special bike ride to honor Florida\u2019s fallen first responders is going on right now throughout the state <\/p>\n
This year, The Brotherhood Ride is a ten-day bike ride throughout the state of Florida. They\u2019re hosted by various Elk\u2019s Lodge chapters, and the riders are pedaling from Arcadia to Lakeland, Eustis, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Port Orange, Cocoa, Stuart, Jensen, Delray Beach, and will conclude in Miami. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo the brotherhood ride was actually formed in 2007{when} we lost nine firefighters in Charleston South Carolina in a warehouse fire,\u201d Jeff Morse, founder of Brotherhood Ride and former fire chief, said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know anybody in Charleston of the fire department but it put something in my heart that I wanted to show these families that we wouldn\u2019t forget their sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ride is 750 miles in total, averaging 70 to 90 miles a day.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always honor Florida\u2019s fallen first, and this year, we\u2019re honoring 24 that died in 2024 so we always do it a year later after the incident the family foes through so much grief but then they start to lose some support and then say \u2018what happened these guys said never forget where are they?\u2019 so here we come along we don\u2019t even know their families and we\u2019re there to show them we\u2019re going to honor and remember their loved ones.\u201d <\/p>\n
Over the past 17 years , the Brotherhood, which consists of firefighters, law enforcement , EMS personnel, and more have biked more than 13,000 miles through 18 states.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve raised nearly a million dollars for the families of the fallen in that time. The Gainesville Elks Lodge will host the Brotherhood on Thursday, and they\u2019ll meet with some of the families they\u2019re riding for along the route. <\/p>\n