Walton County neighborhood residents come together to protest speeding

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Residents in one south Walton County neighborhood say they are fed up and rallying together to bring attention to what they say is a dangerous issue.

Homeowners in Watersound say with more houses being built in their neighborhood, large construction trucks have been speeding through the area daily.

“Our goal is to get everyone to slow down, and to create a [safer] environment,” Jeff Martin, a Watersound resident, said.

“We’ve been complaining about this for several months now,” Mike Scher, another Watersound resident, said. “So, we just decided to come out, park our cars legally, and make it a little difficult for these vehicles to drive fast through here, they have to drive slowly.”

In an effort to have their voices heard, homeowners parked their cars along the narrow road Log Landing Street with signs, many reading “slow down.” Residents watched Thursday as trucks stepped on the breaks and weaved through the cars. They said they hope the drivers get the message.

“They’re not often looking for kids, they’re focused on where they’re going, which they’ve got a job to do- I get that,” Watersound resident and parent to two small children, Ryan Steeb, said. ″But there’s kids and pets and people in this neighborhood and it just takes one person not paying attention, either my small children learning their surroundings or someone driving those vehicles, for a tragedy to occur.”

NewsChannel 7 did not witness any speeding in the neighborhood Thursday, especially with the cars parked on the street. However, homeowners said they are hoping for a better long-term solution.

“When [the St. Joe Company] did the site clearing back there, they were able to get a dedicated construction access,” Steeb said. “And that has been shut down. I’ve heard numerous stories as to why, so I won’t speculate as to the truth of that, but that needs to be reopened, at least for construction, and ideally be made into a permanent access point.”

Residents say despite their frustrations, they are glad they are all able to come together to stand as one and fight for the same common goal.

“It’s very frustrating but it’s good to see the neighbors agree with us and we’re able to rally,” Martin said.

NewsChannel 7 did reach out to the St. Joe Company, the developers of the land. However, representatives said they were not going to make a statement regarding this issue.

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