HUDSON, Fla. — Roadside memorials honoring loved ones lost in crashes are a common sight across Tampa Bay, but a recent complaint in Pasco County is raising questions about whether some of them should be removed.
On the corner of New York Avenue and U.S. 19 in Hudson, Brenda Paradise visits a memorial dedicated to her cousin, Steven Colvin, who was killed in a motorcycle crash near the site last year.
WATCH: Pasco County pauses roadside memorial removal after public concern
WATCH: Pasco County pauses roadside memorial removal after public concern
“It’s got the family photo of him and his kids. Then him and Kayson when he was a baby,” Paradise said.
She said the memorial gives family and friends a place to remember Colvin.
“I don’t think it's an eyesore. I think it should stay for friends and relatives to come and pay their respects and have their memories,” she said.
While there have been no known complaints about Colvin’s memorial, Pasco County officials recently received a complaint about another roadside memorial on Eiland Boulevard in Zephyrhills.
The complaint targeted a memorial for 4-year-old Kyzer Newsome. The person who submitted the complaint wrote that they did not mean to be insensitive but believed the large display could distract drivers. The complaint also noted there were four roadside memorials within a 3.4-mile stretch that made the area look “overall really bad.”
County officials had planned to remove Kyzer’s memorial after determining that some elements near the roadway created a safety concern. However, after the issue sparked online discussion, the county paused those plans.
In a statement, Pasco County said it wants to develop a better process that balances safety guidelines with the needs of grieving families.
Officials noted there is already an approved option for memorializing crash victims on state roads through the Florida Department of Transportation's Memorial Marker Program. The program provides free roadside memorial signs that read “Drive Safely, In Memory” followed by the victim’s name. FDOT installs and maintains the markers at no cost to families and allows them to remain in place for one year. Additional decorations or ornaments that interfere with maintenance activities or could distract drivers are not permitted.
For Paradise, memorials like the one honoring her cousin are about more than marking the location of a tragedy.
“I think they should leave them. I don’t really see it doing anything to interfere with anybody,” she said.
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