Community Development District 1 supervisors on Friday made it clear they plan to push ahead with concerns about golf cart safety on Morse Boulevard.
The dangers of the interaction between golf carts and vehicles on the busy thoroughfare that runs from U.S. Hwy. 27/441 to County Road 466 has long been a concern to CDD 1 supervisors, notably Supervisor Ellen Cora who has long been outspoken on the issue.
“I cringe when I see some of the new people driving golf carts. They weave, they are on the phone, they are right by the line and not near the grass,” Cora said. “They are two inches from your car.”
Last year, a 74-year-old New Yorker died after his golf cart collided with a two-seater Mercedes on Morse Boulevard. He was thrown from the golf cart and had not been wearing a seat belt. The snowbird had departed the postal station moments before the crash occurred.
Cora pointed out that the Sumter County Commission has based many of its opinions about traffic on Morse Boulevard on a study performed years ago by engineering firm Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc. She blasted the “stupidity” of the study that was performed during the summer months rather than the peak season.
Cora said she has been trying to impress upon Sumter County Commission Chairman Craig Estep, a resident of the Village of Hacienda East, the “urgency” of the situation. It was suggested that Estep, a former CDD 1 supervisor, could be invited to a future board of supervisors meeting to discuss the situation.
In addition, Supervisor Rocky Hyder was appointed last year to the board and has been bringing a fresh set of eyes to the traffic situation, perceived by many as dangerous.
