Car clubs are speaking out following months of reports from the News4jax I-Team about car meet ups in local parking lots, where cars are doing peel outs and doughnuts and on roads where there’s street racing.
This has raised the ire of other car clubs who say they do not participate in these activities. Many say videos of the dangerous antics are giving the car community in Jacksonville a bad name.
The News4jax I-Team was invited to what was described to us as a legitimate and organized meet up on Blanding Boulevard.
Dozens of car enthusiasts showed up for the Auto Zone Infiniti Nissan Showdown on Blanding Boulevard, a quiet and calm meet up of car enthusiasts this weekend.
That’s a far cry from some of the other types of car meet ups at local parking lots that are tearing up the pavement and causing property damage.
This group says those are essentially parking lot takeovers, something that this group is not a fan of.
“Those are takeovers and no one like takeovers, especially,” said Kaizo Sage, a car enthusiast. “Most of the people you see at takeovers are junk cars that’s run down and people with no respect for anyone else. Obviously, people here don’t even condone that.”
Sage says this group essentially comes to park and chill in an organized car event.
“This is more of like a meet up,” Sage said. “A park and chill, is kind of what it is.”
Others agree with the assessment videos that have been circulating around Jacksonville are making car enthusiasts look bad.
Jose Rodriguez runs what’s called 6thGear, and says he’s been organizing totally legal car meet ups for years, unlike what other outlaw groups are doing.
“The takeovers that are the ones ruining the car scene,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously they’re illegal and ruin your cars. Not only that, put your life in danger. Put everybody else’s life in danger. We do things really organized.”
They’re working on getting the message out that not all car meet ups are bad, as complaints have resounded around town, whether it’s been noise complaints on Beach Boulevard, to crashes on the westside, to a fatal motorcycle crash last week on the northside.
Drivers here however work with police to make sure the meet up is safe.
“There’s a cop car down there and he’s making sure everybody’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing and that’s what we’re about,” said Cody Helton, a car enthusiast.
News4jax has heard from multiple drivers around town who think Jacksonville could use a track like what’s found in other large metro areas like Orlando and Atlanta.