OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Osceola County leaders are changing course on an infrastructure improvement project aimed at mitigating traffic on the 5th Street corridor in St. Cloud after receiving backlash from long-term residents at a public meeting on Monday.

What You Need To Know

  • The initial goal of the 5th Street study was to make driving in the area easier

  • The corridor study led to the recommendation for the addition of four-way stops, two-way stops, school zone signage, and the construction of roundabouts at certain intersections

  • After receiving public backlash, the city has agreed to only go forward with parts of the proposals the study suggested

“It is overwhelming because we don’t even have enough grocery markets. Like even going to Publix is a concern,” said St. Cloud resident Tugce Figeac, who argues the city is overpopulated and is not taking appropriate measures to mitigate traffic in her neighborhood.

The initial goal of the 5th Street study was to make driving in the area easier. The corridor study led to the recommendation for the addition of four-way stops, two-way stops, school zone signage, and the construction of roundabouts at certain intersections.

After receiving public backlash, the city has agreed to only go forward with parts of the proposals the study suggested.

In a Facebook post, City Manager Veronica Miller wrote, “We are moving forward with the study’s recommendation to install lighted school zone signs near Lakeview Elementary School, and will work on addressing other safety concerns expressed by our community.” 

However, long-term residents argued the proposed changes would attract new residents and not prioritize the safety of current ones.

“(It’s) ridiculous because we have a lot of traffic,” Figeac said about the proposed changes. “My kids want to ride their bikes and they want to ride on the road, so (they) can’t do that when people are not stopping.”

The study found the proposed changes would decrease congestion from averaging roughly nine minutes and thirty seconds, to roughly five minutes and thirty seconds.

But residents in the area told Spectrum News 13 that current road signage is often ignored by drivers passing through the residential neighborhood and that the proposed signage wouldn’t help in deviating reckless driving from people wanting to reach different parts of the city.

“To add additional stop signs, what makes us think that as residents here, that they are going to do any better than they are now?,” said Larry Carpenter, who rides his scooter along 5th Street every evening.