To my fellow drivers on the roads of Sarasota and Sarasota County:
I have taken your calls and seen your email messages.
I have spoken with you on our streets and in our coffee shops.
And I have read your letters.
Letters: Come one, come all to the Greatest Show in Sarasota: Drag races on Tuttle Avenue
Man, have I ever read your letters.
Wow, have I read your letters!
Letters: Cops ignore speeders in downtown Sarasota – and complaints from residents, too.
And here’s how I’d sum up the theme of all these calls, emails, conversations and, yes, letters:
Sarasota drivers have had enough
When it comes to putting up with dumb motorists traveling at stupidly high speeds in increasingly loud vehicles, y’all have had enough.
And I don’t blame you.
I, too, have fought back the urge to cuss when some as… er, I mean, careless… driver in Sarasota – or Venice, North Port, Nokomis or whatever other nearby community you’d like to mention – nearly clips my car at high speed while weaving in and out of heavy traffic.
And I, too, have asked myself this question: “Where have all of these as… er, I mean, clueless… drivers come from all of a sudden?”
So that why I am launching a campaign I believe has the potential to bring everyone together in a community that’s had plenty of things to debate about – and disagree over – lately.
Its time, my fellow citizens, to “Make Sarasota Slow the $#@! Down Again.”
Let us unite!
Law enforcement is aware
The good news is local law enforcement agencies seem to be aware that there are more as… I mean, thoughtless… drivers on the roads around here.
Sgt. Sam Lutz, who oversees traffic enforcement for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, told me in a recent interview that the number of citations the department has issued this year for speed-related violations – including reckless and unsafe driving – was already trending ahead of last year’s pace.
“It is definitely a priority for us,” Lutz said.
Meanwhile, the Sarasota Police Department has partnered with the Sarasota County School Board to install speed limit cameras in several school zones – and it has begun to “actively monitor” drag-racing on city streets after residents began to openly complain about it.
(Did I mention the part about them writing letters, too?)
And, hey, this is all great.
But this is also no time to lose focus on the need to “Make Sarasota Slow the $#@! Down Again.”
If you don’t like Sarasota’s driving habits, keep speaking out
First, keep speaking out and calling out specific streets and areas that remain plagued by heavy volumes of as… er, I mean, inconsiderate… drivers who continue to put others at risk while driving at excessive speeds.
You folks haven’t been shy about writing letters about what’s going on, so keep them coming to editor.letters@heraldtribune.com – or email me at roger.brown@heraldtribune.com.
Second, keep up the pressure on our local communities and law enforcement agencies to stay vigilant about cracking down on these as… er, I mean, reckless… drivers.
Look, I’m not saying they won’t keep taking this seriously, but when Manatee County gutlessly decides to stop using speed-limit cameras in school zones – and simply because people began to whine about them – you shouldn’t take anything for granted.
And, third, corny as it sounds, just continue to be role models for proper, safe driving around here.
In other words, don’t give in to the temptation to be an as… er, I mean, ignorant… driver, too.
So let’s do this, fellow citizens.
Let’s “Make Sarasota Slow the $#@! Down Again.”
Oh, and by the way, if anyone is thinking of putting out any merch with this slogan, be aware that I want my cut – as well as the rights to any rare earth minerals sitting untapped under your backyard.
Opinion Editor Roger Brown can be reached at roger.brown@heraldtribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter @RBrown_HTOpin.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: ‘Make Sarasota Slow the $#@! Down Again’ can unite our community | Opinion
Reporting by Roger Brown, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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