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Manatee County looks to add street lights to high-crime neighborhoods

Samoset could be the first in the pilot program aimed at fighting crime.
Credit: janza
Neighbors hope additional streetlights could reduce crime.

A neighborhood left in the dark for years with no street lights may finally have a brighter future.

Manatee County is looking to add street lights to high-crime areas, with Samoset being the first its pilot program.

By day, Samoset’s narrow, sidewalk-less roads look non-threatening, but by night it’s a different story.

“I’ve lived in Samoset since 2009, and it’s really bad at night. After sunset, you can’t’ even see where you’re walking, it’s so dark out,” said Taura Denis, Samoset Neighborhood Association president.

Neighbors say the lack of lights leads to trouble and dangerous maneuvers.

“I do think the lights will help the crime. I wouldn’t hang around here if I had to, but it’s bad and it will help police do their job better if they have lights,” Denis said.

“At the end of the road there is a blind spot, there’s a stop sign and a curve. (It's dangerous) especially at night because of the darkness, so the lights would be way better and safer,” said Cesar Tobias, Samoset resident.

Denis says the Samoset Neighborhood Association has been advocating for street lights for the past two years.

“The first part of the process was to go out and get petitions signed door-to-door from homeowners, but there’s a lot of renters and abandoned properties so that was really challenging,” she said.

Manatee County is willing to make exceptions to some of its policies requiring 67 percent approval rate from a neighborhood to implement a change. They are also working on lowering the cost to property owners.

“We just want the same thing as other neighborhoods: lights, safety for our kids, sidewalks and basic infrastructure,” Denis said.

She said many neighbors are eager for the county to follow through with the program to help improve safety for all.

Manatee County commissioners still need to approve the project.

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