Resident urges immediate traffic signal on Island Boulevard after repeated crashes

A Zephyrhills resident urged Pasco County commissioners to accelerate installation of a traffic signal and other calming measures at the intersection of Island Boulevard and Bridal Road, saying crashes there are frequent and deadly.

Kimberly Gibbs, a unit owner at Belmont Condominiums, told the commission she discovered a truck in a pond after a crash in January and said accidents in the area have become a weekly occurrence, including incidents that resulted in multiple deaths. Gibbs said she has discussed the location with county transportation staff (she named a county transportation staffer) and was told a traffic signal is scheduled for 2027; she said that timeline is unacceptable and asked the county to identify funding to install a signal immediately and to pursue speed-limit reductions and other calming measures.

Gibbs also told commissioners that later in the meeting the board would consider zoning applications that could add “hundreds” of housing units near the site; she said additional housing without timely infrastructure improvements would increase crash risk. The commission took no vote or directive on Gibbs’ request during public comment; the transportation staff member noted in prior communications that traffic-signal timing is tied to funding and project schedules.

No formal action was recorded at the meeting. Gibbs’ comments were entered during the public-comment period and commissioners said staff would follow up as part of regular transportation project and capital planning processes.