APOPKA, Fla. — Apopka police will soon have $102,000 to tackle distracted, impaired, and aggressive driving thanks to a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation.

What You Need To Know

  • The Florida Department of Transportation has given a $102,000 grant to the city of Apopka to allow officers to target distracted driving

  • The  funds will be given to the Apopka Police Department as reimbursement to pay overtime for officers out on patrol
  • Apopka Police Department leaders say the newly announced FDOT grant will allow their officers to focus their time on enforcement and education in the community
  • Officials said the funds are available from November through September of 2024.

Statistics reported by the agency show that over a four-year time span, Apopka police responded to 3,724 distracted driving-related crashes — which includes talking or texting on the phone, inattentive driving and external distractions.

Of that number, 1,050 caused injuries, 50 caused incapacitating injuries, 18 were deadly, and more than 2,600, or 70%, caused property damage.

According to Apopka Police Department leaders, the FDOT grant will allow their officers to focus their time on enforcement and education for the community.

Sgt. Steve Harmon said Apopka ranks third for distracted driving in the state of Florida when compared to cities with similar populations.

A sizeable portion of that will be reimbursement money used to pay the overtime for officers out on patrol.

Officer Clifford MacDonald has been on the Apopka Police traffic unit and part of the Apopka Police traffic homicide team since the start of his career. He’s identified complaint areas where most fatal crashes occur and roads with higher speeds in Apopka.

“We could drive around now and take a sampling on it and look at the cars that pass us by,” he said. “And the luxury of this is that I’m in an unmarked car and a lot of people don’t know that I’m the police.”

Highways 436 and 429 are on his radar for enforcement — MacDonald’s primary job is to enforce traffic rules, and he’s often the first to respond to deadly crashes. He says he’s seen first hand the devastation districted driving can cause for families.

“I often see people driving around with phones in their hands, and when I come across people who are in crashes, they’re either looking at something else, they’re on their radio, they’re on their cellphone, their reaching down to pick something up,” said MacDonald.

The majority of the FDOT funds will be given as a reimbursement for officers to work overtime. Money will also go to buy speed measurement devices like radar and lasers, and on educational purposes.

“Since we have started the DOT grant-funded traffic enforcement for distracted and aggressive driving, our fatalities have decreased,” MacDonald said.

He is calling for more for drivers to be more attentive on their own.

“Slow down and pay attention to your surroundings,” he said.

Officials said they the FDOT funds will be available from November through September 2024.

The amounts awarded to receive in reimbursement funds for high visibility overtime enforcement grants are as follows:

  • Speeding and Aggressive Driving: $55,000 in overtime, $4,000 for speed measurement devices.
  • Distracted Driving:  $30,000 in overtime, $1,000 for printed educational materials.
  • Impaired Driving:  $12,000 in overtime