ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County deputies say they pulled over 55 drivers going over 80 mph on Thursday morning — and two of them were clocked at 100 mph on State Road 408.
Thousands more are set to roll into Orlando for the Florida Classic weekend — and for residents living in Parramore, it’s their third weekend in a row dealing with road closures, delays, and busy streets.
Parramore community correspondent Jarell Baker spoke to some living near Camping World Stadium about how they plan to navigate all the traffic.
“I’m out here outside of Camping World Stadium where the Florida Classic will be held this weekend,” Jarell said in a standup. “You can already see here off of Tampa Avenue, the barricades are up and the roadway is closed. This is one of several streets that will be closed this weekend.”
[RELATED: Florida Classic road blocks and traffic advisories from the City of Orlando]
Joe Ann Walker — who lives right next to Camping World Stadium — is the mother of a FAMU Rattler and a BCU Wildcat and enjoys the fun and atmosphere of Florida Classic weekend. But she doesn’t enjoy all the road closures and detours.
“If I decide I want to go somewhere, if I don’t go before they start the game, then getting back in is a problem. They block the road off,” she said.
And since she lives right next to the stadium, she’s been dealing with closures for three weekends straight.
“I had to go all the way over to Orange Blossom Trail, the Old Winter Garden Road. Then, when I got to Old Winter Garden Road — no, I can’t come in,” Walker said.
Callahan resident and FAMU grad Harry Bryant says he’s tried walking, driving, and other ways to get to the Classic over the years.
“Some of the problem is that we get down there, and then at the end of the game, the entire hundred thousand folks would like to leave the game at the same time,” he said. “Of course, we’ve got Uber, we’ve got DTO. For me personally, I took the shuttle over by the FAMU campus downtown. It runs constantly every 15 – 20 minutes, and it stays open one hour after the game.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has set up a special event zone, meaning fines are doubled and cars can be impounded.
In an email, sheriff’s officials said, “In the past, before we did these, we would see impromptu car shows and gatherings popping up along Colonial Drive. People would park their vehicles in the medians on the road, and that is not safe for anyone.”
They added, “Sometimes we need to have a visual to understand we need to slow down.”
Deputies say they pulled over 55 drivers going over 80 mph Thursday morning — including two clocked at 100 mph on SR 408 — and it’s one of the reasons why they’re beefing up their presence along several roadways this weekend.
The special event zone is set to run through Monday at 8 a.m. City leaders say it’s best to check out all of your road closures and information about the special event before you head out.
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