OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Osceola County is making some changes after a number of crashes at an intersection near Florida’s Turnpike.
Art Moniz contacted Traffic Inbox because where he lives off Coralwood Circle, it’s often congested.
His neighborhood is next to the Osceola Parkway and Florida’s Turnpike interchange.
“There’s no way that I’m going to take a chance of trying to make a left-hand turn here,” Moniz said, pointing to the crowded intersection.
Moniz said most of the problems occur when eastbound drivers on Osceola Parkway are looking to make a left turn onto Coralwood Circle because traffic congestion forces them to snake through two backed-up lanes of westbound traffic. But those backups also block the view of the far lane, he said, which is a free-flowing ramp to Florida’s Turnpike.
According to information from Osceola County, there were 16 crashes involving those left turns at the intersection between 2023 and 2025.
“A fella just slammed on his brakes, and it was a very near miss,” Moniz said, recalling one close call he has had at the intersection. “And I had the green light.”
Osceola County found most of those left-turn crashes took place when drivers had a flashing yellow arrow, which allows drivers to turn after yielding to oncoming traffic.
“It’s so dangerous that I have to wait here,” Moniz said. “A lot of times the people behind me will start blowing the horn because I (use) caution.”
To reduce the number of crashes, county officials plan to eliminate the flashing yellow arrow between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., when most of the incidents occurred.
Now, eastbound Osceola Parkway drivers looking to make a left turn onto Coralwood Circle will only be able to do so when they’ve got a green arrow.
“This change removes the need for drivers to judge gaps in traffic when visibility is restricted,” said Tyler Winik, director of communications for Osceola County.
Outside of those hours, the current yellow flashing signal will remain to avoid unnecessary delays during quieter times.
“The westbound left turn will continue to be monitored, as crash data does not show a similar pattern in that direction,” Winik said.
Moniz said he hopes the changes at the intersection will make it less dangerous.
He said he wants to make sure he and his wife of nearly 60 years are safe.
“My wife and I, we say, ‘Be careful, think of the other guy’,” he said. “We give each other a good kiss, and so far, everything’s OK.”
Moniz said another issue is drivers trying to make an illegal U-turn at Osceola Parkway and Coralwood Circle.
County officials said they plan to monitor the intersection, especially as a turnpike widening project continues near the intersection.
If you’ve got a traffic trouble spot, let us know about it here so we can try to help.