CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. -- The Citrus County Sheriff's Office is cracking down on speeders.
- Deputies cracking down on speeders in Citrus County
- Drivers going too fast in construction zone on U.S. 19
- Speed limit was recently lowered in that area
Deputies say drivers have been zipping through a busy construction area on U.S. 19, which has seen several crashes since work began.
Deputy Tim Horton said he's heard it all when pulling over speeders in and around that construction area in Homosassa Springs.
"People have told me the speed limit hasn't changed on their GPS that's why they're going 60 miles an hour, 65 miles an hour, even 70 miles an hour," Horton said.
But he said not obeying the law can have serious consequences.
In just the last two years that the construction has been going on, the Sheriff's Office said there have been nearly 100 speeders in that area.
The speed limit on U.S. 19 heading north from Homosassa Springs was recently lowered as the construction project continues to expand.
"We're trying to let people know it's 45 miles per hour, and it's probably going to be like that for a couple of years," Horton said.
US 19 business owners like Avery’s Cheesecake owner Debby Avery are glad to see the extra patrols.
"Coming up through the 'S' turns if we're not paying attention they'll run us right off the road or they're right next to us and that's scary," Avery said.
She said in the weeks since the crackdown, she's already noticed a change.
"I have noticed a little bit of a difference in the speeding and it still needs to be enforced,” Avery said.
Drivers will have to watch their speed in this area for a while. The construction project on U.S. 19 is expected to last until 2020.