ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Some drivers are making streets in neighborhoods look more like racetracks.
Street racing is an issue we have seen before, but now, homeowners in Windermere say their frustration and concern is growing as drivers are doing burnouts and donuts near their homes.
For multiple homeowners along Tattant Boulevard in Windermere, they say reckless drivers are becoming more than just a simple nightmare, but a danger.
“It’s just wild, but I hear street racing out here all the time,” said Cassandra Booth, who is a homeowner.
Another homeowner who didn’t want to show his face on camera says the problem with the reckless drivers happens “almost every single night, people are doing donuts on the road.”
He also says how dangerous it is when they do the donuts in front of a nearby middle school at night.
“It happens often. Usually, they go fast, they do donuts right here, then gun it the other direction,” he said.
Across Orlando, we’ve covered street racing multiple times. In July, four men were arrested during an illegal street event in Orlando on the Fourth of July, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
[BELOW: Driver shoots fireworks from car while doing donuts in Orlando street takeover]
Both homeowners say they would like more of a police presence and possibly speed bumps to crack down on the issue in the neighborhood.
Booth says, “It can be annoying. It will keep you up or if you’re about to fall asleep.”
We brought the homeowners’ concerns to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. In a statement, they say:
“We know that street racing is a concern in communities and neighborhoods throughout Orange County. When there is an apparent increase in street racing in a specific place, our deputies respond and provide additional patrols. They are also working hard behind the scenes to thwart racing before it even happens. We cannot have deputies on every street corner 24/7, and we rely on the community to call 911 or our non-emergency line (407-836-4357) to report any troubling situations that are happening in their neighborhoods.”
However, for the homeowners we spoke with, they’re wanting this nightly nuisance under control before someone gets hurt.
“They should post a cop out down the street or somewhere they (drivers) wouldn’t be able to see them at night, and then be like ‘You’re going that fast,’” said Booth.