JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – People who live in the Wells Creek neighborhood are back to dealing with traffic backups, now that the school year has started.
It’s a subdivision in south Duval County located off Phillips Highway, not far from the St. Johns County line.
News4JAX first reported about traffic issues in the area in Aug. 2023.
But before the last school year ended, officers with JSO helped direct traffic for people who lived there.
That was in the morning, before school hours. But once school ended for summer break, the officer no longer helped direct traffic.
Residents who live there, like Kristin Rispoli, said when officers directed traffic, it cut down the time it took for them to exit the property. It went from 30 minutes to 10.
So far this school year, Rispoli said those officers are not there and the time it takes to leave has increased again.
“It’s just been extremely stressful, and overwhelming,” Rispoli said. “I’m a mental health therapist so I have an abundance of fidgets and all of that stuff and I have definitely been using them.”
To be clear, officers aren’t required to help direct traffic.
JSO said officers are able to sign up to work off-duty for the subdivision. Two officers are needed for the job. It’s a voluntary position and scheduled as secondary employment for officers.
Rispoli, and others News4JAX spoke with off camera, said to figure out why officers haven’t been at the entrance of their busy intersection the first few days of this school year, they reached out to JSO.
They spoke with officers at Substation 3 to ask what was going on.
According to them, they were told the reason other officers haven’t volunteered to pick up shifts is because some of them were harassed.
“That’s just a really crappy thing to do to anyone, but definitely a police officer,” Rispoli said. “And if that’s how people are acting with police officers present just imagine what it’s like in the mornings now.”
News4JAX asked JSO to confirm whether residents were told that and they replied in part in email “ I’ve not been able to confirm that conversation occurred at all.”
Andrew Lisella, a member of the Wells Creek HOA said he hopes to have officers back directing traffic while they wait for the traffic light to be installed.
He also said he hopes residents are patient until that happens.
“Be careful be safe try to get to leave a little bit earlier try to remain stable,” Lisella said.
He also said the traffic light is expected to be installed earlier than planned.
Last year News4JAX found it could be installed by early 2025.