Florida police issue 223 citations over weekend to speeding motorists on bridge

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Police in west-central Florida had writer’s cramp last weekend, handing out more than 200 citations to motorists speeding across a bridge that links two major cities.

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According to a news release from the St. Petersburg Police Department, six law enforcement agencies issued 223 citations and 156 warnings on Saturday and Sunday to motorists driving on Gandy Boulevard and the Gandy Bridge that connects Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Speeding and street racing have been problems in the Tampa Bay area, including on the 6-mile Gandy Bridge, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

“The operation is the latest in an ongoing multi-agency effort to address street racing and speeding along the span between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties,” police said in their news release.

Agencies assisting the St. Petersburg Police Department included the Florida Highway Patrol, Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office, Pinellas Sheriff’s Office, Pinellas Park Police Department and the Tampa Police Department, according to the release.

Most of the citations were issued to motorists exceeding the highway’s 55 mph speed limit by 20 mph to 30 mph, WFLA-TV reported.

“High speed increases the severity of injuries and damage upon impact,” the news release stated. “Following the speed limit is for the safety of everyone on the roadway.”

St. Petersburg police said that the law enforcement agencies also cited motorists for not adhering to the state’s “move over law,” which requires drivers to move over at least one lane when safely allowed to do so “for stopped law enforcement, emergency, sanitation, utility service vehicles, tow trucks, and maintenance or construction vehicles with displayed warning lights.”

Motorists unable to move over must travel 20 mph less than the posted speed limit, WFLA reported.