ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Some neighbors in the World Golf Village area of St. Johns County are complaining about what they’re calling dump truck chaos in their neighborhood.
People living off of Pacetti Road near County Road 208 say many dump trucks fly down the road, tailgating drivers, and nearly causing accidents.
We caught up with some of the residents to hear their concerns.
“We see it every day, it’s very frustrating, and it’s very dangerous,” said Melissa Dempsey. “And it’s like watching a trainwreck about to happen, and I can’t stop it.
Almost a year ago, a dirt pit opened up on County Road 208. Now, dozens of dump trucks travel along CR 208 and Pacetti Road daily. Melissa Dempsey is among the dozens of Gran Lake residents who say they’ve had close calls with speeding dump trucks recently. She says she was driving through a school zone on Pacetti Road, when a dump truck began tailgating her.
“The car in front of me had to turn so I started to slow down, and because he’s so heavy, he had to break so hard the whole truck was shaking. I was looking to my left, looking to my right to see where in the ditch am I going to go drive because I really thought I was about to get hit,” said Dempsey.
Several Gran Lake residents have since reached out to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and county commissioners about their safety concerns. They both acknowledged the residents. Action News Jax reached out to both the County and SJSO for a statement.
“The Sheriff’s Office Traffic unit is aware of the complaints and is proactively patrolling the area. So far, the majority of trucks were within compliance. In one week, only one dump truck was stopped for speeding,” said SJSO.
Usina Contracting Inc. owns the CR 208 Dirt Pit. Management told Action News Jax the companies do not belong to the company, and they were not aware of the complaints.
“We provide dirt to the customers and that is it. Once the truck exits our property, we are not responsible for their route or way they drive,” said management.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
St Johns County Commissioner Ann Taylor represents this part of the county.
“I have been informed by the sheriff’s department that they have increased their presence in this area. I drive on Pacetti and IGP often and am aware of the increase in dump trucks that are in the area due to a new dirt pit on CR208,” replied Taylor to Action News Jax. “Unfortunately, the traffic is often very heavy on Pacetti and IGP and most of the complaints that I receive are that traffic is very congested and not moving. The sheriff’s dept has informed me that they will continue to monitor the area.”
Paul Proios is the board president of the Homeowners Association for Gran Lake. He says they’ve received several complaints from residents about the trucks.
“It’s become such a growing issue that we’re going to have a draft up letter to the county commissioners and to the sheriff to have something done,” said Porios.
The Gran Lake HOA says they expect to have that letter ready in the next week or so.
