Best Foot Forward Launches in Osceola & Kissimmee on Oct. 30

on October 27, 2017 at 2:31 am

Best Foot Forward to launch in Osceola County and City of Kissimmee to address rising trend in pedestrian injuries and fatalities

Osceola County, City of Kissimmee, their respective law enforcement agencies, MetroPlan Orlando, LYNX, Osceola County Public Schools, Florida Health Department and local safety advocates have joined forces to launch Best Foot Forward, a grassroots pedestrian safety initiative, to reverse escalating pedestrian injuries and fatalities by changing driver behavior at pedestrian crosswalks.

The official launch ceremony and press conference is scheduled for Monday, October 30 at 11 a.m. in the Osceola County Commission Chambers, 1 Courthouse Square, Kissimmee, FL. Media is invited.

According to the Dangerous by Design report, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (Metro Orlando metropolitan statistical area) has consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous regions in the nation for pedestrian deaths and injuries for the last ten years. Last year in Osceola County, 148 people were injured and 19 were killed in crashes, a 30 percent increase from 2014 to 2016, as reported by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Best Foot Forward is a data-driven, multi-prong approach of combining education, engineering and enforcement to get more drivers to stop and yield for people at crosswalks as Florida law requires. Short-term success is measured by the percentage of drivers yielding to pedestrians at marked crosswalks. The ultimate measure of success, however, will be the reduction of pedestrian deaths and injuries.

Partners and participants in the Kissimmee/Osceola County Best Foot Forward coalition launch ceremony include:

Harry Barley, Executive Director, MetroPlan Orlando
Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, Osceola County
Mayor Jose Alvarez, City of Kissimmee
Edward Johnson, CEO, LYNX
Linda Clarke, Nursing Program Specialist, Florida Department of Health in Osceola County
Debra Pace, Superintendent, School District of Osceola County
Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell
Osceola County Sheriff Russell Gibson
Amanda Day, Executive Director, Bike/Walk Central Florida

Run of Show Agenda

Media Alert
Pedestrian Safety Fact Sheet & Data
Best Foot Forward Q&A PDF