ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – People in Atlantic Beach met Tuesday evening to discuss what many feel is a dangerous speed limit along Mayport Road that they hope to have reduced.
The push for change comes less than a month after 12-year-old Hunter Cope was hit and killed at the nearby intersection of Wonderwood Connector and A1A while walking to Mayport Middle School.
Residents are now asking how many more crashes and accidents have to occur until the Florida Department of Transportation brings down the speed limit.
At Tuesday night's meeting, which was attended by Atlantic Beach City Commissioner Jimmy Hill and Cope's mother, many people said they had already reached out to FDOT personally to see what can be done, and others expressed frustration that the speed limit was not being enforced.
RELATED: City commissioner calls for Mayport Road speed limit reduction
"I did a little bit of math just to see what the impact would be if we did lower the speed limit. It's around 60 seconds per commute each way, which is a minute out of our day, so it's not a lot of price to pay for a significant increase in safety," Hill said.
The speed limit on Mayport Road is currently 45 mph, but city officials are trying to lower it.
"The military aspect of it, which has always been the blocking factor of lowering that speed limit, has some significant changes. And having the additional routing they could use, we should be able to get this done," Hill said. "Once they realize a community has said, 'Enough is enough,' I think they are going to listen to us."
The discussion also included the importance of police enforcement and training if the speed limit is lowered to the desired 35 mph.
But not everyone was in favor of the proposed change.
"We'll have road rage. We will have the worst traffic out there. Parents need to be parents, that's all," said Shanin Ritter, who opposed lowering the speed limit.
Cope's mother, Crystal Clark, told News4Jax that she was appreciative of the people who came out to support her and support reducing the speed limit.
"That made me feel really good. It's a terrible time that I'm dealing with so they made me feel welcomed," Clark said.
Hill said the next step will be going to the state level and contacting FDOT again. He said they will be putting together a committee in hopes of getting the change rolling.
There are multiple factors that go into FDOT lowering the speed limit, including the design of the road and how many cars drive on that road.
Mayport Road has a large military presence, so the 45 mph speed limit is appropriate in order to keep traffic moving, according to FDOT.