NEWS RELEASE 20-110 - SEPTEMBER 04, 2020
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce the agency received funding for a High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) initiative for pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Sarasota County ranks in the top 25 counties in Florida for traffic crashes resulting in serious and fatal injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists. In an effort to protect the safety of these most vulnerable road users, the sheriff’s office will conduct HVE details from now through May 2021 with a focus on predetermined locations based on statistical crash data. These areas include:
- Stickney Point Road from U.S. 41 to Beneva Road
- Bee Ridge Road from Iola Drive to Bond Place, Pine Ridge Road to Jetta Drive, and Honore Avenue to I-75
- U.S. 41 from Springfield Drive to Beneva Road, Blackburn Point Road to Bayview Drive, Woodmere Park Boulevard to Shamrock Boulevard, and James Street to Groveland Avenue
- Swift Road from Proctor Road to Nassau Street
- South Indiana Avenue from Church Avenue to Park Forest Boulevard
- Fruitville Road from Simmons Avenue to North Cattlemen Road
- North Lockwood Ridge Road from 15th Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way
- Bahia Vista Street from Kaufman Avenue to McIntosh Road
HVE details are funded through a contract with the University of North Florida, Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM) in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation’s focused initiative to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.
The goal of the enforcement effort is to increase awareness of and compliance with traffic laws that protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. Enforcement efforts will focus primarily on education to drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists however, violations may result in warnings or citations.
Drivers are encouraged to always obey speed limits, never drive impaired, and watch for pedestrians and bicyclists. Bicyclists should obey traffic laws, ride in the direction of traffic, and use lights when riding at night. Finally, pedestrians are asked to cross in crosswalks or at intersections, obey pedestrian signals, and make sure they are visible to drivers when walking at night.