OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (WPTV) — Okeechobee residents say the intersection at State Road 70 and NE 128th Avenue is deadly, and families are now demanding the Florida Department of Transportation install a traffic light. However, the state has different plans.
At State Road 70 and Berman Road, the number of trucks driving by is hard to miss with many of them headed to the Okeechobee landfill.
Leah Suarez, a resident, said she recently lost a loved one to a fatal accident at the intersection.
"You have these fully loaded trucks coming — not stopping — or just a little quick tap on the breaks and then go, and so it makes it pretty dangerous," Suarez said.
Suarez said 24-year-old Luis Rivera, a beloved member of the Okeechobee High School band community, collided with a semi-truck back in August.
"He was just so special. Just such a great kid. He graduated with my son," Suarez said. "How could his life be snuffed out like that?"
Suarez said she wants FDOT to install a traffic light to make the intersection safer.
"We can't let this tragedy, not provoke change," Suarez said.
She is not alone. At an Okeechobee County Let's Hear It event, residents shared the same concerns.
"You take your life in your hands every time you hit that intersection," resident Deborah O'Donnell-Puckett said.
The issue was recently addressed at an Okeechobee County Commission meeting, where staff explained a 2025 traffic study showed a traffic signal was needed.
"FDOT does not agree with that traffic study and wants to do a second traffic study," county staff said. "They've brought some suggestions about putting in some flashing lights, putting in some traffic deterrents and some other items to help start the process to see if it improves the intersection."
County staff explained one FDOT proposal included traffic deterrents in the intersection so vehicles cannot get across State Road 70 without turning right and then making a U-turn.
Commissioner Terry Burroughs pushed back on that idea.
"When you tell me that they're going to make trucks — a number of trucks — do U-turns out there, somebody has lost their mind," Burroughs said.
County Commissioner Frank DeCarlo said over the phone Wednesday that the county is actively working with FDOT to improve safety at the intersection.
When we reached out to FDOT, a spokesperson told us:
"FDOT is currently evaluating the intersection and continues to consider a traffic signal installation. In the interim, we are actively implementing signing and pavement marking enhancements as quickly as possible to improve safety."
In the meantime, residents are hoping FDOT will consider the area's needs when addressing the problem.
"I'm not going to give up until a traffic signal is put there and hopefully it will save some lives," resident Barbara Hegarty said.
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