JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville councilman said on Tuesday he has requested urgent safety improvements for Baymeadows Road following a crash that killed a father and his 1-year-old son last week.
Councilman Joe Carlucci, who represents District 5, said his office made requests to the City and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to address the traffic safety concerns in the area.
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The call to action came after Mitchell Patch, a Duval County Public Schools math teacher, and his 1-year-old son, Everett, were killed while crossing the road on Friday night.
Dylan Williams, manager at Wicked Barley Brewing Company, told News4JAX on Monday that Patch was part of a large party that was being held at the establishment.
The incident immediately raised concerns about traffic and pedestrian safety in the area.
“How many more lives must be lost before action is taken?” Travis Akers, a concerned community member, wrote in a call-to-action Facebook post.
According to Carlucci, he spoke to the City of Jacksonville’s Traffic Engineering director to request that urgency be placed on safety improvements for Baymeadows Road.
Carlucci also said he spoke to the FDOT District 2 Director and requested the required formal study be done to start the process of identifying potential traffic enhancements.
That study, which is a requirement before any traffic improvements can be installed, will be conducted in the coming weeks, according to Carlucci.
“My ultimate goal is to have an impactful improvement along this roadway as soon as possible,” Carlucci wrote in a news release. “Cars are flying down this roadway and that needs to change. That will change.”
Carlucci said he thinks the road needs a traffic signal, additional lighting, striping and signage to improve safety in the area.
According to JSO crash data, there have been eight previous crashes in front of Wicked Barley since 2023.
Friday’s incident brought the number to nine.
Here is the breakdown:
2023: Auto crash, traffic crash with injury, and hit-and-run crash
2024: Traffic crash with injury and two hit-and-run crashes.
This year, including last Friday’s, there was one fatal crash, a traffic crash with injury, and a hit-and-run crash.
The next block, 4200 Baymeadows Road, had two auto crashes in 2023.