ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — When temperatures fall, newscasts often feature people who work outside in the cold, such as mail carriers, construction workers, and landscapers.
You can include tour trolley drivers in St. Augustine in that group.
They have to work in the cold and still find a way to show southern hospitality.
Bud Horan is one of those trolley drivers. He knows the roads and the stories of St. Augustine as he's been driving for Old Town Trolleys for eight years.
Horan, like other drivers, work in open air vehicles.
"We check the weather to see what’s in store for us," he said.
This weekend, temperatures ranged from the 30s to the 50s.
"We know we’re in store for a bit of an arctic blast," Horan told First Coast News.
So the right clothes are important.
"Gloves, socks and usually some headgear," he mentioned.
The drivers can spot who is from this area and who is not, just from what they’re wearing.
"Of course," Horan smiled. "People from up north, you’ll see them come down in January, they’ll still wear shorts."
And it’s not just the drivers who work in elements. Folks such as Depot Conductor Edward Grimes work outside too.
He looked down at his attire, "Four layers on top." He laughed at himself. "I'm wearing four layers!"
He said layers are key to dealing with the fickle Florida weather. "And I move around quite a bit on this job so that helps!"
As for Horan, he retired here from New York.
"But after a couple of years, when your blood thins, you feel the cold."