ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Downtown Ormond Beach businesses are taking matters into their own hands after drivers continue to ignore a reduced speed limit on Granada Boulevard — nearly a year after the change took effect.
Florida Department of Transportation recently made physical changes to the road, adding new crosswalks, bike lanes and narrower travel lanes with the goal of making the area slower and safer for pedestrians. The speed limit between U.S. 1 and A1A was also lowered to 30 mph. But many drivers — and even some residents — still don’t know the limit changed.
“Coming off the bridge, you’re automatically coasting off the bridge anyways. People typically don’t drive the listed speed limit — if it says 35, they’re going 45,” said Kevin Wakefield, owner of The Grind and Ormond Garage restaurants in downtown Ormond Beach.
Wakefield said the safety concerns were especially noticeable at certain times of day and he’s thankful for the changes being made.
“Especially in the afternoon when you’re driving directly in the sun, didn’t see people crossing, it was very tentative,” Wakefield said.
When Ormond Beach Mainstreet launched an awareness campaign this week — hanging banners, decals and signs throughout the area — the feedback confirmed what many already suspected.
“The first reaction I got when they started the campaign was, I didn’t know they changed the speed limit,” Wakefield said.
Ormond Beach Mainstreet Executive Director Becky Parker said the lack of awareness drove the organization to act.
“No one really knew that the speed limit had changed and so we kind of took it upon ourselves,” Parker said.
News 6 reached out to FDOT asking whether it planned to take additional steps to alert drivers. The agency responded that “the change in speed limit was communicated as part of our overall outreach.”
Mainstreet conducted its own surveys with residents to gauge awareness.
“We are in this community awareness mode now where we are literally teaching people that the speed limit changed and I can’t tell you how many people did not know,” said Georgia McCurdy, also with the Mainstreet organization.
McCurdy said the group also followed up directly with FDOT about the ongoing speeding.
“We had some communication with them and learned that after they finish the project it becomes a city responsibility,” McCurdy said.
Mainstreet also sees an upside beyond safety to traffic slowing down.
“When you drive more slowly you experience the town in a completely different way,” McCurdy said.
Ormond Beach Police is also enforcing the speed limit in the area and has joined the awareness campaign. Mainstreet says it plans to relaunch the campaign every quarter for the next year until the message resonates with drivers.