ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg police are hoping a massive street racing bust over the weekend will serve as a wake-up call.
Assistant Police Chief Antonio Gilliam announced on Monday that 69 people were arrested in a street takeover around 10:45 p.m. Saturday at 1101 Roosevelt Blvd. North. That's near the Interstate 275 interchange.
According to Gilliam, officers responded in "our most aggressive manner to date" with assistance from the Pinellas Sheriff's Office, Pinellas Park Police and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Officers said they arrived to find dozens of people gathered in a parking lot between buildings watching drivers do doughnuts and burnouts in the inner circle.
After surrounding the area with more than 50 patrol cruisers, police arrested 69 minors and adults and impounded 23 cars.
There were 57 misdemeanor charges and 12 felony charges ranging from fleeing and eluding to child endangerment. The couple charged with child endangerment brought their infant daughter and 3-year-old son to the event, police said.
"We are a zero-tolerance city," Gilliam said. “We strongly suggest that those of you that have engaged in this activity and might have plans to do so in the future, that you find a legal, more safe activity, because this activity will land you in jail or in prison."
Police said this operation was part of the ongoing effort to crack down on street racing across the county sparked by the death of a 13-year-old at a street racing event back in January.
Law Enforcement agencies are enforcing a relatively new law that took effect six months ago.
Under the law, police no longer have to witness street racing in person. Video, often posted on social media, is enough to make an arrest. Car owners can lose their wheels for up to 30 days, and participants — as well as those just there to watch — can be arrested.
There has also been some discussion about a bill in this legislative session to increase racing penalties to a felony, giving Florida’s law even more teeth.
But, so far, only a more general aggressive driving bill has stalled in the Senate, and it lacks a cosponsor in the House.
“If it ever becomes apparent that they have found a way to circumvent or find loopholes in that, we will go back and we will increase those penalties and put more teeth into it,” Gilliam said. “But right now, the laws on the books, they work. They work in the state of Florida.”
Investigators declined to go into detail about what sort of surveillance techniques they’re using to find out about the meet-ups and takeovers before they happen.
But, they hope as word spreads of the sheer number of arrests, and the owners’ expense of paying to impound those cars for up to 30 days, that efforts will eventually start to gain traction.
According to police, those towing and impound fees can reach into the thousands of dollars. Violators also risk losing their license for up to a year.