STUART, Fla. — Drivers in Stuart may notice an increased police presence on local roads this week as part of "Operation Southern Slow Down," a coordinated traffic safety campaign spanning multiple states. The initiative aims to reduce speeding and aggressive driving, especially in areas known for crashes.
The Stuart Police Department issued 47 citations and 64 warnings on day one—numbers well above their usual daily enforcement levels, according to Lieutenant Brian Bossio.
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“This initiative is to focus on aggressive driving and safe operation of motor vehicles—particularly speeding we’re going to be focusing on and we will be providing heavy traffic enforcement during this week,” Bossio said.
The enforcement is concentrated in areas with higher traffic volumes and frequent crashes, including Monterey Road, Kingswood Terrace, Kanner Highway, US-1, Central Parkway, and the Roosevelt Bridge.
“Monterey road, we are focusing on the area of Kanner Highway and US-1, we’re focusing on the Central Parkway and US-1 and the Roosevelt Bridge,” Bossio explained.
Drivers say speeding is an issue they come across daily on Stuart roadways.
“Our business is right on US-1, so that’s kind of like the Daytona 500 right there. There’s a lot of cars ripping by there,” said Christian Rivera, a local business owner.
“No one has manners so everyone just drives crazy,” added Stuart resident Samantha Salamone.
Others point to reckless behaviors beyond speeding that are contributing to a rise in unsafe driving conditions.
“Blocking traffic, cutting people off, rear ending, things like that, that’s the major problem,” said Martin County resident Steven Scholtes.
“As time has gone on I think you start to see people get more frustrated with the traffic so they get a little bit more reckless driving in and out of things,” said Chris Flaherty, a Stuart resident.
Although "Operation Southern Slow Down" is a week-long effort, police say the focus on traffic enforcement won’t stop when the campaign ends.
“Speed is a serious, serious issue here,” Bossio said. “This is going to remain a focus of our agency for quite some time.”
He emphasized the potentially deadly consequences of reckless driving.
“They need to understand that what they’re doing in that vehicle could potentially kill, hurt, destroy lives,” Bossio added.
Many residents voiced support for the increased ticketing, believing it’s a necessary step toward improving safety on local roads.
“Stop handing out warning tickets,” said Scholtes.
“We drive past accidents that don’t look like damage that should’ve occurred at 35 miles an hour,” Rivera said.
“Cracking down on reckless driving and speeding is a good thing,” said Jason Fischer, a resident of Stuart.
Whether it's about issuing more citations or simply raising awareness, officials and residents alike appear to agree that safer roads are a shared goal—and that getting there will require continued effort.
