LAKEWOOD RANCH -- A car going 40 mph inside a 15 mph zone is a safety issue for any community.
For months, Lakewood Ranch community development district supervisors have sought to implement a contract with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to pay off-duty deputies for additional traffic control in the gated Country Club and Edgewater villages.
But Manatee County officials say traffic signs in the communities need to be brought up to federal standards first.
“The people ask me, ‘where is the sheriff?’” said supervisor Tom Green said. “I don’t know what’s behind all this.”
Essentially, the problem is recent changes to the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices have forced many communities to spend extra money to get into compliance, said Eva Rey, executive director of the Inter-District Authority.
The districts have spent $4,000 on new signs and the Manatee County inspectors will be invited back soon for a reinspection, which hopefully will allow the traffic control contract to go into effect, said Ryan Heise, Lakewood Ranch operations director.
Richard Moran, one of the community development district supervisors, said the patrol agreement was reached with the sheriff’s office in December.
The districts were expecting to see patrols start in early January, he said.
However, for the past 10 years, deputies have made traffic stops in the gated communities, supervisor Dave Emison said.
“If want to pay the sheriff to come in for additional policing, the existing signs aren’t good enough?” Emison said.
Speeding, security and safety were among the most pressing issues discussed during the Lakewood Ranch district workshop meetings at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall on Tuesday.
Another safety issue regarding traffic in the area was concerns regarding youths seen riding golf cart-like vehicles in the neighborhood, an issue Moran hoped the off-duty deputies would monitor.
“I think it’s important that it gets fixed immediately,” Moran said. “It’s a real problem for the kids riding on the carts who probably don’t have any idea how much danger they’re in, or could be in, with a car coming that they can’t see around the corner.”
Nick Williams, East Manatee reporter, can be reached at (941) 748-0411 ext. 7049. Tweet:@_1NickWilliams
