SANFORD, Fla. – It looks like more officers will soon be hitting the road in Sanford equipped with speed-measuring devices, as the city and FDOT work to reduce the number of crashes caused by speeding and aggressive driving.
At a meeting on Monday night, the Commission will need to give its approval for the Sanford Police Department to use funds from an FDOT subgrant.
Documents reviewed by News 6 show FDOT allocated $30,000 for the department to use through September 2026. The money will be used to buy more speed measurement devices to “equip as many officers as possible” and to pay for overtime.
Drivers our News 6 team spoke with Monday afternoon say speeding and aggressive driving are a problem in Sanford.
“I do see people speeding, mostly on 17-92,” said one man.
Another woman who has spent more than 20 years driving school buses in Seminole County told News 6, “I’ve had a lot of close calls. I had to hold the kids on the bus. I have to tell the kids to stop because the drivers are going so fast.”
Sanford has ranked in the top 40% for serious injuries or fatalities related to speed or aggressive driving for the last 3 fiscal years, according to information about the purpose of the subgrant included in Monday’s agenda packet.
During the enforcement period, traffic safety officials will aim to conduct at least 10 speed or aggressive driving-related overtime enforcement operations.
The city will be required to review crash data to determine which areas have the most crashes resulting in serious injury or death and focus enforcement efforts at those locations within Sanford’s jurisdiction.
An annual report shows that a similar $25,000 subgrant awarded to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office in 2023 was used to conduct 69 high-visibility enforcement overtime speeding and aggressive driving details.
During that time, 315 speeding citations were issued on the interstate, where enforcement efforts were focused. In 2023, the Orlando Police Department used 1,092 overtime hours to conduct 94 enforcement operations. During the enforcement period, they saw a decrease of 28.7% in injuries and 33.3% in fatalities relating to speeding and aggressive driving, according to the report.
“I think it’s something that needs to be regulated,” said one driver. “I see police, but I would like to see more activity as well.”
News 6 reached out to the Sanford Police Department to see if there are specific areas where enforcement efforts will be located in the coming months. A spokesperson said they would work on providing more information.
Items on Monday night’s agenda can be seen in the media player below.