Central Florida Drivers on Alert at Crosswalks as Students Return to School

As parents and children prepare for the start of the new school year this month, law enforcement agencies across six Central Florida counties have been conducting a coordinated, high-visibility operation to remind drivers that it’s the law in Florida to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks.

Operation Best Foot Forward continued its latest quarterly pedestrian safety enforcement from July 23 – August 2, with 20 law enforcement agencies issuing 420 warnings and citations to drivers that failed to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks. Many of the locations chosen for this enforcement were located within walking distance to schools, which coincides with the start of the new school year for students in August. In total, there were 27 crosswalk locations enforced across six Central Florida counties.

During Operation Best Foot Forward, plainclothes officers, deputies, and volunteers cross streets at marked crosswalks, giving drivers enough time to slow down or stop safely. Drivers who do not stop as Florida law requires face a minimum $164 citation and three (3) points on their license. These enforcements support FDOT’s Target Zero and MetroPlan Orlando’s Vision Zero campaigns, which aim to reduce traffic-related serious injuries and fatalities to zero.

A record number of law enforcement agencies participated this summer. In addition to the Sheriff’s Offices from Brevard, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia Counties, police departments from Apopka, Casselberry, Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, Indian Harbour Beach, Kissimmee, Longwood, New Smyrna Beach, Oakland, Orlando, Ponce Inlet, and St. Cloud returned as participants of Operation Best Foot Forward. For the first time, Ocala Police Department and Melbourne Beach Police Department joined the regional operation, demonstrating their commitment to pedestrian safety and driver awareness.

Attendance from local digital and news broadcast media provided a huge boost in awareness about the enforcement, with 84 media placements reminding an estimated 1.4 million Central Florida viewers that it’s the law in Florida to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. We’d also like to give a special shout out to all our Best Foot Forward partners who were able to attend a crosswalk enforcement to support, including elected officials such as Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore, Melbourne Beach Mayor Alison Dennington, Kissimmee Commissioner Jeanette Martinez, Apopka Mayor Brian Nelson, Apopka Commissioners Diane Velazquez and Nick Nesta, as well as individuals from:

• Orlando Health
• HCA Healthcare
• Volusia County School District
• Orange County Government
• Ocala Marion TPO
• City of Casselberry
• City of Kissimmee
• City of Daytona Beach Shores
• Bike/Walk Central Florida Board
• Osceola News Gazette
• Positively Osceola
• Orlando & Gainesville Broadcast Media Networks

Additional photo selections are available to view on our Operation Best Foot Forward Flickr album. To see the full enforcement schedule with an interactive map of the crosswalk locations, visit iyield4peds.org/operationbff.