WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — A Wesley Chapel neighborhood has been plagued by illegal street-racing, and now homeowners are desperate for change before someone gets hurt. But they admit getting them to stop will be no easy task for law enforcement.
Homeowners living at Estancia at Wiregrass say night-time street racing on Chancy Road has been a huge headache for them for months. But by daylight neighbors see fresh burnt out tracks, every week.
It’s a nighttime routine, Brandon Kelley knows too well but doesn’t welcome.
“It’s about 9 or 10 o’clock and almost on the hour you can hear that they’ll start to rev their engines," said Kelley.
Past the backyard of these new homes on Chancy Road is the lawbreakers' biggest temptation— a one-mile straight-away.
“Most nights you can count on it, every night of the week," said neighbor Jeff Rhoades.
Neighbors call the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office looking for relief, but say there’s just one problem.
“It’s difficult for police to do much because they have to catch them in the act and they’re in and out quickly," said Kelley.
The speedsters are out in less than ten minutes. They leave behind only dark tracks by an empty dead-end.
A PCSO spokesman says: “It is true that violators know we will respond if called and unless we are already in the area they will be long gone by the time we arrive.”
In the last year, the agency has made no citations or arrests for street racing in East Pasco County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, in June, a Camaro and a Mustang were involved in a crash on the same straightaway. It left the Camaro on top of the median and its driver cited for careless driving. FHP says that same night they received a “be on the lookout” for cars racing in the area.
Neighbors hope something more can be done before illegal fun turns deadly.
“It’s been brought up in HOA before that it’s only a matter of time before there is an accident and someone gets hit," said Kelley.
The fines can be stiff if you’re caught breaking the law. It’s a $1,000 fine for doing a wheelie on a public street. Do it again and it jumps to $2,500.
