PINE HILLS, Fla. – We asked what we should cover when WKMG hits the road to Pine Hills.
Alvin Luck wrote: “Can you address the jaywalking that goes on in Pine Hills? I fear I will hit someone who isn’t following the traffic laws.”
News 6 Investigator Louis Bolden found it is a big problem.
Vince Bartee says his brother, Charles Bartee, was his best friend, but his life ended tragically.
The 64-year-old was struck by two vehicles and killed on Pine Hills Road in 2021.
“He never turned his back on no one. That’s what made him a good man. He had a lot of friends out there,” Bartee told News 6.
“They took my brother’s life and he was a great guy. Great guy,” Bartee said.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, since 2015 at least 32 pedestrians have been killed in Pine Hills and another 88 people have incapacitating injuries.
“I know at least three [people] got hit. Maybe one survived it, you know,” Bartee said.
It has been an issue for years, an issue Orange County leaders are aware of.
News 6 asked what the county is doing to stop it.
Christine Moore is an Orange County commissioner representing District 2, which includes Pine Hills.
“There’s really a menu of many solutions to the problem. There’s a lot of work on slowing traffic down, adding extra signalization, more sidewalks,” Moore said.
Moore says about $9 million is going towards safety enhancements.
It includes reconstructing a 3.2-mile stretch of Pine Hills Road from Colonial Drive to Bonnie Brae Circle.
It will be reconstructed with a raised median and railing to prevent people from crossing except at crosswalks.
They also plan to add a mid-block crossing location to increase pedestrian access between intersections.
“I would say most of the public isn’t aware of all the things that are coming their way,” Moore said.
A full list of current projects is listed on the Orange County government website.
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Florida Department of Transportation also has some traffic projects on its website planned for Silver Star Road through the Pine Hills area, including new traffic and crosswalk signals at some intersections, and adding medians and pedestrian-activated signals in some areas.
But for the Bartee family, it’s too little too late.
One of the drivers that hit Charles stopped at the scene. The other did not and has not been caught.
“My sisters stay in touch with detectives, but at this time, it’s nothing. They have nothing. They got nothing to go on,” Bartee said.
Anyone with information about the car that left the scene should call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (3477).
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