ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Activists gathered in St. Petersburg on the third Sunday of November — the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims — to call for safer streets and demand action from city leaders.
The event drew advocates and at least one city official, as organizers pushed for school zone safety cameras and school bus stop arm cameras across Pinellas County.
"These aren't just statistics, these are humans. These are families that are disrupted. These are empty seats at dinner tables," said Max McCann, an organizer with the group.
WATCH: St. Pete advocates demand school zone cameras on day honoring traffic victims
177 people were killed or seriously injured in St. Pete in 2025, a number McCann said drives his advocacy.
"9 people die on our roadways every single day in Florida, every single day on average. And we just collectively shrug our shoulders. We have to do better," McCann said.
Organizers used the day of remembrance as a call for specific policy changes.
"We're asking for school zone safety cameras and school bus stop arm cameras. These are proven technologies that will make our streets safer for our most vulnerable road users, our children going to and from school," McCann said.
St. Pete City Council Member Corey Givens Jr. was in the crowd — someone organizers are specifically asking to act on school zone cameras.
"I sit in those budget meetings all the time and when you think about the fact that Amendment 3 has passed, you know, we have to think about how are we going to prioritize in our government safer streets so that our children can bike to school, our adults can get to work," Givens said.
Givens acknowledged that no change will be easy, saying the city needs to evaluate all options, conduct due diligence and hear from the community before making a decision — but that a change is needed one way or another.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Share Your Story with Blake
Tourism and the environment are backbones to our way of life in Florida, and Blake Phillips is dedicated to covering those topics. Use the form below to reach out to Blake and start a conversation.
.
HOA said yes, but the CDD says no: Sun City Center homeowners ordered to remove backyard fences
For years, homeowners in one Hillsborough County neighborhood had fences around their backyards — fences that were approved by their homeowners' association. But now, another organization with government powers says some of those fences are blocking drainage easements and have to go, at the owners' expense.
