GROVELAND, Fla. — Neighbors in Groveland are calling for change — and citing commuting concerns along part of County Road 33.
Three people were killed in a crash between a SUV and a dump truck Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of County Road 33 and Bridges Road.
Over the last three years, data show that the number of crashes the Florida Highway Patrol has responded to in that area has gone up.
- 2021: One crash
- 2022: Seven crashes.
- 2023: 11, which includes Tuesday night’s deadly crash
- NOTE: This does not include the number of crashes the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to
Employees at Pine Lake Retreat, said the intersection of CR-33 and Bridges Road is a constant safety hazard. Many of them say they are urging leaders to put up a traffic light.
“We had an accident yesterday, which three people die. That’s sad,” said Carlos Ceciliano, camp manager of Pine Lake Retreat.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers said a SUV was stopped at the intersection before it proceeded onto the roadway and colliding with a dump truck. Just in 2023 FHP responded to 11 crashes, the most in a 5 year span.
Ceciliano said something needs to change to better protect drivers on the road.
“We need a traffic light," he said. "It’s urgent. That’ll reduce the possibility of having more accidents in that intersection."
Spectrum News reached out to Lake County about the process of installing a traffic light at this intersection.
Right now, officials say they aren’t considering putting a traffic light in the intersection. However, if that changes the first step is conducting a warrant analysis and go from there.