Waldo, Ever heard of the town?

Years ago when I first started going to Florida often I was warned by fishermen about the first stretch of US-301 in Florida. 

Long before Interstates Folks from  from NC Who were real sports fishermen found the lakes around Leesburg, Florida. If you  could squeeze a Fri or Mon off you   could get in a day and a half of some of the best Bass fishing in the south. That meant you   had to drive as fast as you legally could to make the trip.

In that pursuit a lot of traffic  tickets were paid in the little town of WALDO, Florida.  Seeing GREEN another small town north of there, Lawtey, decided this wasn’t such a bad way to gain revenue. So two small towns whose population justified 1 to 2 policemen grew to 8-10 police cars & policemen.

AAA warned it’s members to be VERY careful in those two towns.  It finally got so bad that still today there are two big billboards leased by AAA warning of the speed traps.  The state has placed more warning signs of speed zones with notes STRICKLY enforced. I believe Sherry and I counted the speed signs and there were about 43 of them in the first 60 miles.

Drivers found them selves dropping from 55mph limit to 25 mph or less in 1/4 mile.

This has continues for over 50-60 years. Towns supported by traffic citations. BUT this week the news finally broke, after an investigation it was learned that WALDO chief of Police did in fact issue ticket quotas to his officers. Quotas are illegal.  Citations are to support enforcement and prevent accidents not pay salaries.

This weeks headlines read, “Waldo Police Department is Disbanded”, The county Sheriff’s department will be responsible for the enforcement.

Sherry and I never got a ticket, but we ALWAYS obeyed the speed limit thru there. We do have friends who have been ticketed there.

We live in a country where the police as a whole follow the “Protect and Serve” motto, but as my daddy said, “There is always that ten percent!”  I haven’t known but two police officers personally. Both were good people,  Claude Setzer and Elwin Davidson. We do have one great guy here in Bloggersville, The Old boomer http://oldboomerwoodys.blogspot.com/ 

Gary Wood the retired Badge holder, iffn I was betting, I would bet he was one of the good guys.

Thanks for stopping by the log.

Nite Shipslog

PS: another a dem male blonde jokes:

A blonde man was driving home, drunk as a skunk.

Suddenly he has to swerve to avoid a tree, then another, then another.

A cop car pulls him over; so, he tells the cop about all the trees in the road.

The cop says, "That's your air freshener swinging about!"

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I liked this Packard Hearse.