In the wake of a drowning over the weekend in Cocoa Beach, one concerned Brevard County resident is making a push to make the beaches safer by putting up a uniformed system of rip current warning signs.

Michael Fitzgerald has been trying to make the changes for the past year. He aims to have the signs with the same information on them -- all along the miles and miles of beach line.

Replacing old, worn-out signs like the one near where the man drowned just this past weekend could help cut down the number of drowning deaths.

"Here's a rip current sign that's faded out and useless -- the gentleman came here, and who knows if he would have read it," Fitzgerald said.

The sign Fitzgerald is talking about is the one at the Young Avenue beach access, where a Tennessee man drowned during the hazardous rip currents during Easter weekend.

The current warning sign at the foot of the stairs is faded out and difficult to read.

Fitzgerald said among the 200-plus beach accesses in the county or beachside cities, many other signs are faded or missing.

One Lakeland family -- more than a dozen of them including small children -- is here for a week to celebrate a wedding.

They know to be careful in the water during rips, but they are concerned other visitors may not heed the danger.

"Unfortunately, as I look at that sign, I can't read it -- and I have very good eyes," Deandre Callins said.

"Everybody knows it's dangerous, some people just don't pay attention," said Dean Baker, who was with the same group as Callins.

Twenty-one people have drowned in Brevard County in the past decade -- all were outside the lifeguard protected areas, which spans about 50 miles.

Fitzgerald said there are three different types of rip current warning signs being used.

Having one uniformed sign with instructions of how to get out of a rip, an informational phone number and a website where lifeguards cover the beach could make a big difference.

"The only line of defense we have when people come to the beach is to tell them before they get on the beach," Fitzgerald said.

A representative from the city of Cocoa Beach said Wednesday that the faded sign will be fixed "very soon."

In the meantime, Fitzgerald said he plans on speaking to county commissioners about his idea, which he said will cost $15,000 to get new, uniformed signage.