[Indy-Guy]

If you speed in Sumter County, Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, or Marion County you will pay. I have been told the fines are around $200.00. I don't know anyone who has gotten a warning ticket or a verbal warning. So when you see someone stopped bingo $200.00. I warn all of our guests before they come here not to speed.

Below are the places that I have seen them stopping people. I am sure that there are many more places so let us know where you have seen them on a regular basis.

1. Newest one is the bridge on Morse Blvd just South of 466. This speed limit has been reduced to 25 mph. I have seen a motorcycle cop parked on the island where the plants are just off the South end of the bridge. He isn't there long he spends more time doing tickets. Don't ask me why they reduced the speed there to 25 mph wait and ask the officer when you are signing the ticket and let us know. So you birds beware of this change when you return.

2. South bound traffic just past Arnold Palmer's on Buena Vista. They stand in the left turn lane at the entrance to The Village of Bridgeport at Lake Sumter. When they are there they have 3 to 4 cars pulled over.

3. South bound traffic on Buena Vista they stand in the entrance to Lake Miona Regional Recration Center. It has been a while since I have seen them there.

4. East & West bound traffic on 466A just East of Buena Vista in the vacant area on the North side of 466A just East of Turtle Mound Golf Course.

5. Fruitland Park Police have been stopping people on the stretch of 466A just East of where the 4 lanes become 2. That is the start of Fruitland Park city limits.

6. North bound Buena Vista just North of the Polo Field.

7. Lady Lake has just installed lights over the stop lights at many cross streets. They are blue and the officer dosen't have to be in view of the stop light to see if you run the light. These lights are blue take a look at them and you will see how they work. They are paying for them as you are reading this.

I am sure that there are more than this but these are the ones that I see often. I also see them more in the AM than the PM. If it is raining they aren't there they are at Dunkin Donuts.

Remember I don't know of anyone who has gotten a warning ticket or that has just gotten a verbal warning. They will write you a ticket. Bingo $200.00

Let us know where you see them.

[Talk Host]

Are they speed "TRAPS" or are people actually speeding in those enforcement locations. It has been my observation that tickets need to be handed out.

[Ooper]

They also like to hide in the clump of trees at the north east corner of the entrance to the Villages Woodshop and Harvest Gardens on Rolling Acres Road.

[MelZ]

I have seen The Fruitland Park PD giving tickets on 466a between 27/441 and Mcdonalds. Speed drops from 45 to 35 as you get closer to 27/441.

My sister in law got a 60/45 ticket in a rental car on 466a (I warned her but.........)and a ticket for a uninsured vehicle when all she could produce was the rental contract. Speeder was $270, unisured Vehicle was $150 (which the court dismissed after she got documentation from Alamo).

[Indy-Guy]

Originally Posted by Talk Host

Are they speed "TRAPS" or are people actually speeding in those enforcement locations. It has been my observation that tickets need to be handed out.

Please define a speed trap for us. Or at least what you think one is. If I remember correctly you have stated in the past that you have been a police officer correct me if I am wrong. If I am correct then that would be what most police officers would state as long as they are not getting the ticket. I think the average person would think when they see many tickets being written in the same place that they would call it a trap. I do agree if you are speeding and you get a ticket it is your fault.

To many of us who have never written a ticket we perhaps would call them a trap. I would think that if they are in the same spot frequently then that is a trap.

If I were a trapper I would put my traps where I would think the animals would frequent. To me they are going to a good traping area or they wouldn't frequent that area. I know that these places are not the only places people speed.

My reason for letting people know is to let them know that if they speed that there is a good chance that they will get caught. Not that the police are wrong to give tickets. That is why I try to drive the speed limit. I assure you that more people pass me that I pass.

[DDoug]

They just want some of that disposable income that us rich villagers are suppose to have.

[DDoug]

One other thing with all the cops it just isnt safe around here anymore

[Becky]

I remember hearing last year, that there is a tricky difference in the school zone speed limits somewhere around the charter school. I haven't been that way since school started. Anyone enlighten me on this before I start out that way?

Becky

[MelZ]

Originally Posted by Talk Host

Are they speed "TRAPS" or are people actually speeding in those enforcement locations. It has been my observation that tickets need to be handed out.

If the objective is to reduce people speeding why not just have the cruiser visible. Seeing a cruiser always causes people to slow down.

If the objective is to generate revenue, then hide for the sole purpose of issuing tickets. A TRAP is a revenue generation devise. As are Redlight Cameras which purpose is to generate revenue.

[NJblue]

My observation is that the speed limits are ridiculously low given the roadways. For example, Buena Vista, a 4-lane divided highway with a speed limit of 35 is way too low. It could be at least 45 without being unsafe. Of course, the limits around the circles should be much lower. Same thing with 25 MPH on Morse on the bridge.

These unusually low speed limits given the nature of the roadways constitute a speed trap by my definition.

[Talk Host]

To my way of thinking, a speed trap is, in fact, an ongoing, revenue producing, assembly line of handing out tickets to anybody for anything.

However, when chronic speeding is out of control and officers work a specific area, the intent is to save lives. Drivers have criticized speed limits since the beginning of driving. I have never heard of a police officer giving a ticket to somebody who is within the limit. President Ulysses S. Grant was stopped for driving his horse team too fast in Washington. When the cop saw who it was, he said, "I'm sorry Mr. President." Grant said to the officer, "Do your duty man."

In so far as revenue generation goes, traffic citation income is actually a line item in post municipal budgets. The amount is based on an average of revenue from years past. In all the years I have been around police, government, and media, I have never once heard an official say, "get out there and hand out tickets to generate revenue."

What are quotas? Each officer is expected to preform as least as others on the department. Like any business. In manufacturing, if most workers produce 60 widgets a day, but two guys only produce 45, they are goofing off, or incompetent. If 55 sheriff's deputies each hand out an average of 60 tickets a month, but two only hand out 40, they are goofing off or incompetent.

[rshoffer]

Ya'll are retired.... what's your hurry?

I'm not... but I'm cheaper then Jack Benny and a 200 dollar ticket would really PMO!

Therefore, I check the speed limit, hit the cruise control, crank up 640 am and get there when I do....

the Lake Sumter bridge is tricky... when you go 25 mph into LSL from 466 the golf carts in the cart lane are keeping up with you and the people behind you are typically having a fit.

This must be generating a bunch of revenue... I wonder if they have quotas.... or even contests.... who collected the most speeding fines this week?

[PJOHNS2654]

Fruitland Park has had a reputation for many years regarding writing citations for speed. I would be willing to bet that Fruitland Park has one of the lowest injury accident rates per capita in the State. We are retired what is the need to speed?

Originally Posted by PJOHNS2654

We are retired what is the need to speed?

One of the unfortunate truths about retired people is that they are closer to the end of their life than those too young to retire. Perhaps we retired folks are trying to fit more into our remaining time, therefore, getting somewhere a litte quicker means we can do more of whatever it is we are going there to do - assuming, of course, that we get there at all and don't crash because we are going too fast.

[Prizmz]

Do remember the cost of the summons is merely the ante...first question for policy renewal -- "Have you received a ticket in the last...?"