GROVELAND, Fla. – A Central Florida family is left picking up the pieces after a Tesla slammed into their home a little over a week ago.
Homeowner Kelsey Hotchkiss said she’s grateful the crash wasn’t worse than it was.
“My 4-year-old had just walked inside and said, ‘Mommy I’m hungry,’ and I’ve never been more grateful for a hungry toddler in my entire life,” Hotchkiss said.
While she’s glad no one was seriously hurt in the fiery crash, she said speeding has been a problem in the Cypress Oaks neighborhood.
Prior to this most recent crash, Hotchkiss said another serious crash took place back in October.
“We purchased this house in March of 2021, and we were aware that there were some issues with the neighborhood being used as a pass through, but it’s become increasingly obvious that it’s a very serious problem since these two accidents were just, you know, seven months apart,” Hotchkiss said.
The city of Groveland tells News 6 they’ve taken measures to address excessive speeding in the neighborhood including increased police patrolling. The city said Groveland police have made 300 traffic stops in the neighborhood since April 2022.
On Monday, News 6 saw city employees placing traffic barricades along Maravilla Way as a temporary solution to slow drivers down.
“I’m grateful for the barricades,” Hotchkiss said. “Obviously, it’s not going to be something that permanently stops someone from making this decision.”
Hotchkiss said she’s glad to see the city making an effort but wishes they had done so sooner.
“We don’t feel that it should have taken taking out three fences, taking out, you know, tons of and creating tons of property damage in order to see a response on the speed tables,” Hotchkiss said.
Groveland officials did confirm with News 6 there would be a public meeting to address speeding concerns in the Cypress Oaks neighborhood on June 14 at 7 p.m. at the Puryear building. At that meeting, city officials will explain the options available to deal with traffic problems and the city manager will take public comment.
The city manager has also created a task force. A spokesperson for the city said that the task force met twice last week.
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