JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The site where a Jacksonville officer died in the line of duty in a 2018 crash was renamed Monday in his honor.
A bill (SB 64), which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April after it was passed unanimously in the Florida House and Florida State, designated a portion of Interstate 295′s east beltway, between Alta Drive and Pulaski Road, as Officer Lance Christian Whitaker Highway.
It’s the stretch of road where the 17-year-veteran of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was killed in May 2018 when his patrol car ran off the road while responding to a separate accident. Whitaker, 48, left behind a teenage son, a fiancee and his fiancee’s three children, who considered him their stepfather.
Whitaker’s family stood alongside other police officers, city leaders and state Sen. Audrey Gibson as one of the signs was unveiled. His family did not want to comment but wanted to thank all who made this happen.
“He was rushing to help somebody else in distress and it is a fitting memorial and Road designator here so the community he was trying to help will never forget,” said Steve Zona, president of the Fraternal Order of Police. “And let us never forget it’s all about the family and to let them know that we will never forget Lance and the sacrifices he made for a community.”
Sheriff Mike Williams released the following statement after Whitaker was killed in the line of duty in the crash:
"I am heartbroken about Officer Lance Whitaker’s death. His tragic passing in the line of duty highlights the grave dangers our men and women in blue face every day when they put on their uniforms to keep us safe. Officer Whitaker’s oath was to serve and protect those in his community, and he died in pursuit of that mission. My heart goes out to all who knew him and to a community that lost a devoted public servant.”
Days after he died, hundreds of people lined the roadways in Riverside to pay respects as officers with JSO escorted the body of Whitaker on a 30-minute ride from the medical examiner’s office to the Hardage-Giddens funeral home.
The following week, hundreds of family, friends, law enforcement members and community leaders gathered to honor and say their final goodbyes at a funeral service at Evangel Temple. After the service, Whitaker was laid to rest at Oaklawn Cemetery with full honors from the JSO Honor Guard. The Sheriff’s Office also broadcast the last radio call for Whitaker from the graveside.
“Thank you, Lance, for a job well done,” can be heard in the call.
According to friends, whether he was at work or at home, he was enjoying life.
The highway designation is a reminder of his sacrifice to the community and the tragedy of the accident that took his life.