PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A task force has been established in Putnam County to tackle safety issues on State Road 100.
This initiative follows numerous complaints from community members regarding unsafe driving conditions on the road.
RELATED | People call for change on SR-100 after double fatal crash in Putnam County
The task force is composed of the Madam Chair of the County Commission, Leota Wilkinson; the chair of the school board district; the county administrator; the sheriff; the Putnam Fire and Rescue Chief; a mother of a person who died on SR-100; and five appointed community members.
On March 25, the Board of Commissioners voted to form the task force, and on April 8, they appointed the community members during a public meeting.
In late February, a double fatal crash on SR-100 sparked hundreds of comments on social media from residents calling for change, specifically requesting safety improvements on the road.
Marlene Ryan is the mother of Jessica Daughtry, one of the two people who died in the February crash on Bardin Road.
“She loved the Lord,” Ryan said. “She is my beautiful only daughter.”
Daughtry left behind a husband and four children.
Last year, Florida Politics reported on a study that found Putnam County had 21.14 fatalities caused by car crashes for every 10,000 people, placing it fifth among the most dangerous counties to drive in America.
While she is still grieving the loss of her daughter, Ryan said she is trying to turn her pain into positive change. So, she joined the newly established task force.
“We do have a hope that from this tragedy that something good will come of it,” Ryan said.
Wilkinson showed News4JAX a map that points to different portions of the road and the number of incidents and fatalities at that specific location.
The numbers on that map reflect the incidents from 2012 to 2022, and according to Wilkinson, the fatalities have increased since then.
Wilkinson said she hopes the task force will make the road safer and prevent more tragedies from happening.
“First we meet with FDOT officials and let them know what our concerns are and try to set some long-term goals of possibly four-laning and widening the road and they are in the middle of their resurfacing plan so oit is actually a good time we would love to see them instead of resurfacing maybe come in and add a turn lane on bardin road because there is one west bound and not east bound,” Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson also said local law enforcement has done a great job recently upping patrols and citing people for speeding.
The new task force will meet on April 30 for its first official meeting as a group.
