Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
Support Services Bureau
-Grants Administration

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)

What:
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has received a $43,255 contract from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for a High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Project.

The purpose of the project is to educate and enforce safe pedestrian, bicyclist and driver behavior in designated hot spot areas in an effort to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities involving pedestrians and bicyclists.

When:
The project will begin on Thursday, October 29, 2015 and run through May 26, 2016.

Where: 
The first High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) detail will be held on Belcher Road from S.R. 580 to Curlew Road.

Subsequent details will be conducted at various north and south Pinellas County locations. (See list below.)

Why/How:
Beginning on October 29, 2015 and through May 26, 2016, Pinellas County deputies will be conducting on-the-street high visibility education and enforcement details that will stress the importance of pedestrian and bicycle safety. The Florida Department of Transportation is funding the project.

The operation will include the distribution of educational materials, as well as the issuance of warnings and/or citations to pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists in accordance with Florida Statutes. The operation will follow a two phase progression. Phase one of the operation will focus on education and the issuance of warnings to violators. Phase two of the operation will focus on the issuance of citations.

Assigned deputies will conduct high visibility patrol details three times a week, at 18 different pre-designated “hot spots”, over the seven month period.

Deputies will also be handing out free bike lights to those bicyclists they come in contact with that need lights. 

The 18 different “hot spot” locations include:
Belcher Road (SR 580 to Curlew Road)
Main Street/ SR 580 (Belcher Road to Patricia Avenue)
49^th Street (Creekside Drive to 144^th Avenue North)
Gulf Boulevard (150^th Avenue to 155^th Avenue)
US Highway 19 (Coral Landing Boulevard to Alderman Road)
Tampa Road (Lake St. George to East Lake Woodlands Parkway)
Gulf Boulevard (155^th Avenue to 173^rd Avenue)
Ulmerton Road (Belcher Road to 58^th Street North)
US Highway 19 (62^nd Avenue North to 44^th Avenue North) 
Alt US Highway 19 (Tampa Road to Maryland Avenue)
Alderman Road (Belcher Road to Cinnamon Hill Boulevard)
54^th Avenue (37^th Street North to Haines Road)
66^th Street North (46^th Avenue North to 62^nd Avenue North)
Seminole Boulevard (Walsingham Road to 94^th Avenue)
US Hwy 19 (SR 580 to Curlew Road)
Gulf Boulevard (75^th Avenue to 37^th Avenue)
Curlew Road (Belcher Road to Northridge Drive)
Gulf Boulevard (129^th Avenue West to 131^st Avenue West)