HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Residents in Fish Hawk say their neighborhood is plagued with broken sidewalks, making it dangerous for the people who live there to walk around. Now, the county says there's a plan to fix the problems.
Adalene Boyd says she was on a walk Monday morning in her Fish Hawk neighborhood when she fell.
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"My foot hit, and it tripped me and wound up falling and I face-planted right here," said Boyd.
Her injuries included a black eye and a scratched and bruised face, hands and knees.
Boyd says the fall was very frightening for her.
"It was very much panic because I just had back surgery last March, and I was afraid that I would do something to hurt my back," said Boyd.
And this isn’t the first time someone’s been hurt on the sidewalks in Fish Hawk. Back in November, ABC Action News first reported on a man who was badly injured from falling in the same area.
"It's like that through the whole neighborhood with these oak trees," said Brian Black who also lives in the area.
Neighbors say the roots of the beautiful trees that canopy the sidewalks create a constant problem by breaking and raising the concrete slabs.
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While our cameras were there on Tuesday, county workers and contractors showed up to mark the sidewalk, put down the reflective tape, and put out notices about a fix. They say the sidewalk will be shaved or replaced depending on how bad it is, beginning in the next two weeks.
After our first story in November, Hillsborough County says they went out to Fish Hawk to do an assessment of the area. Right now, they’re working to add portions of the sidewalks in the area to a priority list for the 2020 and 2021 budget.
Currently, the budget for sidewalks in Hillsborough County is $3 Million. If "All for Transportation" goes through, the budget gets bumped up to $7 million a year.
Right now, the county says they’re addressing the immediate needs to the neighborhood.
