Active Safety Campaign · Documented Since 1964
Last updated: May 24, 2026

Stop Unsafe Truck Traffic & Speeding in DeLand Highlands

Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road in DeLand Highlands are narrow, curved residential roads — and they're being used every day as dangerous cut-through routes by logging trucks, dump trucks, tractor-trailers, and other heavy commercial vehicles, at sustained speeds well above the posted limit. The speeding complaint is not new — residents have been writing the County and the Sheriff's Office about it since at least 1964, in published newspaper letters in 1995, and on the record in six consecutive 2026 Council meetings. Below: the photos, videos, transcripts, agency emails, and engineering analysis the County and FDOT already have on file.

Read the Full Story → See the Evidence Submit a Comment
Commercial truck off the road at Old Daytona / Marsh curve — May 12 2026 ⚠ May 12, 2026 — Truck off the road at Old Daytona / Marsh curve. No police report.
Turn-ahead warning sign (MUTCD W1-1) and speed advisory obstructed by vegetation at Old Daytona / Marsh Turn-ahead sign (MUTCD W1-1) & speed advisory obstructed by vegetation — same curve as the May 12 crash
Mary Dickinson speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation Mary Dickinson at Volusia County Council — six consecutive appearances on Marsh Road safety
Fully loaded logging truck filling entire lane on Marsh Road Logging truck filling entire lane — Marsh Rd CX North
Speed radar showing 51 MPH on residential Marsh Road Radar — 51 MPH on a 35 MPH residential road. Same speed complaint residents filed in 1995.
Dump truck following cyclists on curve with no shoulder Dump truck trailing cyclists on blind curve — no shoulder
Dump truck captured at 3:02 AM on security camera with audio waveform Dump truck at 3:02 AM — audio waveform shows noise impact
Volvo semi hauling dumpster over yellow center line on Marsh Road in DeLand Highlands Semi crosses center line on Marsh Road — no recovery space
Truck blocking entrance at US-92 intersection causing traffic backup Truck blocking US-92 entrance — vehicles backed up behind
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⚠ May 2026 Update — Predicted in the Morning. Caught on Camera the Same Night.

A Service Truck Ran Off the Road at the Old Daytona / Marsh Curve — Caught on a Resident's Security Camera, Reported by a Neighbor, Never Filed by Police

On May 12, 2026, residents filed two separate formal safety challenges with Volusia County. The first was a formatted supervisory review complaint with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, documenting how the Marsh Road speed study, math interpretation, and enforcement posture had failed the corridor. The second was a detailed engineering rebuttal to the Volusia County Engineer's Office — citing the Florida Greenbook, the road's actual ~10-foot lane widths, the curve crash history, and documented heavy-vehicle encroachment — asking the County to evaluate the corridor as a design-vehicle and roadway-geometry safety issue, not just a truck-percentage issue.

Later that same day — May 12, 2026, at 11:10 PM — a commercial service vehicle left the roadway at the exact curve named in both rebuttals: the curve where the yellow Turn-ahead warning sign (MUTCD W1-1 — used where the bend is acute enough to qualify as a turn, not a curve) and speed advisory are obscured by overgrown vegetation.

According to residents who arrived first, VCSO did not pass by or respond for over an hour, and no police report was filed. That means this run-off-road incident — at the very location the County has been told repeatedly is dangerous, on the very same day residents filed two formal safety challenges — will not appear in the "10-year crash data" the County Engineer cited days earlier to argue that "truck traffic does not appear to have created an unsafe condition." The crash data itself is undercounting the problem it's being used to dismiss.

▶ Resident security camera, May 12, 2026 — timestamp 23:10:01 to 23:11:05. Marsh Road south camera captures the moment a vehicle leaves the roadway at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve. Submitted as resident-reported evidence.

Facebook message screenshot from witness Timothy Meeske, 11:14 PM Tuesday May 12, 2026: 'Yo' / 'Someone in the tree on Marsh'
Witness Alert · 4 Minutes After the Crash

Old Daytona Road resident Timothy Meeske witnessed the crash and messaged the resident at 11:14 PM Tuesday, May 12, 2026:

"Yo. Someone in the tree on Marsh."

That message — neighbor to neighbor — is the only reason this crash was reported at all. No 911 call generated a police report. The crash exists in resident records and on resident security cameras. It does not exist in the County's crash data.

Commercial service truck off the road at Old Daytona / Marsh curve at night — wider view Service truck in brush at curve with yellow Turn-ahead warning sign visible Daytime photo: Old Daytona / Marsh curve warning and speed sign obstructed by vegetation Daytime photo: Turn-ahead sign overgrown by vegetation along Marsh Road

Above: the May 12, 2026 run-off-road incident at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve (left two), and the obstructed Turn-ahead warning and speed advisory signs (MUTCD W1-1) at the same location photographed days earlier (right two).

See All Evidence May 12 VCSO Supervisory Complaint (PDF) May 12 County Engineer Rebuttal (PDF)
0 Feet of Road Width
0 MPH Recorded Speeds
0 Hour Truck Activity
0 Reported Crashes — 10 yrs · dozens more unreported
0 On Curves — per County's own data
0 Key Danger Zones

What's Happening on Marsh Road

If you live on or near Marsh Road or Old Daytona Road in the DeLand Highlands area of Volusia County, Florida, you already know what's happening. If you're visiting this site for the first time, here's the situation:

Over the past several years, these narrow residential and semi-rural roads have become routine bypass routes for heavy commercial vehicles — logging trucks, dump trucks, tractor-trailers, plumbing trucks, and other large industrial vehicles. Instead of staying on major roads like US-92 and SR-11 until the last practical point of local access, these trucks are cutting through the neighborhood to save a few minutes, avoid traffic lights, and skip congestion.

The result is a growing crisis that affects every resident along this corridor:

Marsh Road is approximately 20 feet wide — just two 10-foot lanes with no shoulders. Old Daytona Road is even narrower at 18 feet in some stretches. When a fully loaded logging truck meets a passenger car on a curve, there is no safe recovery space. The truck cannot stay in its lane. The car has nowhere to go.

Residents have documented trucks crossing the center line on curves, especially near the Stetson golf practice facility around 4255 Marsh Road, where at least one passenger vehicle was forced to come to a complete stop just so a truck could clear the turn. At the Old Daytona Road exit onto US-92, semis cutting through from SR-11 have been observed blocking the hard corner and preventing cars from exiting safely — a scenario that county staff themselves acknowledged as concerning.

At the Little Haw bridge, dump trucks frequently go over the center line, creating danger for drivers, cyclists, and people fishing near the waterway. The bridge itself — narrow and neighborhood-scale — visually and practically underscores that this corridor was never designed for repeated heavy industrial traffic.

And it doesn't stop during the day. Residents report heavy truck activity between 1 AM and 5 AM — engine noise, compression braking, trailer rattle, and low-frequency vibration that shakes walls, disrupts sleep, and has contributed to concerns about structural settlement, driveway cracking, and property damage over time.

This is not merely a speeding issue. This is a roadway geometry and vehicle compatibility problem. Even at low speeds, a WB-62 tractor-trailer's swept path may cross the center line on these curves. The issue demands a proper engineering review — including swept-path analysis, turning movement evaluation, and vehicle classification counts — not just a speed study.

Residents have already contacted county officials. The county has acknowledged the concerns as legitimate and plans a review of speeds and vehicle types. But residents believe the review must go further — it must include roadway-geometry and design-vehicle compatibility analysis, and it must result in real protections: truck restrictions, traffic calming, signage, and enforcement.

That's what this site is for. It documents the problem with real evidence — security camera footage, resident photos, timestamps, and specific hazard locations. It gives neighbors a place to submit their own evidence and stories. And it provides a petition to show county and state officials that this is not one person complaining — it is an entire community demanding action before someone is seriously hurt.

The Problem

These Roads Were Never Built for This

Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road are narrow, curved residential roads being routinely used as bypass corridors by logging trucks, dump trucks, semis, and other heavy commercial vehicles.

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Dangerously Narrow Lanes

Marsh Road is approximately 20 feet wide — just two 10-foot lanes with no shoulders. Old Daytona Road is even narrower at 18 feet. When a large truck and a passenger vehicle meet on a curve, there is no safe recovery space.

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Center-Line Encroachment

Large trucks physically cannot stay within their lane on tight curves. Trailers track over or across the double yellow line, forcing oncoming traffic to brake hard, stop, or swerve toward the road edge.

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Blind Corners & Dead Curves

Multiple segments have limited sight distance. Drivers encounter approaching trucks with almost no warning, creating panic stops and near-miss situations — especially dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians.

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Shortcut Bypass Traffic

GPS apps and local knowledge route commercial drivers through these residential roads to avoid lights and congestion on US-92 and SR-11. This is cut-through traffic, not legitimate local access.

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Vibration & Property Damage

Repeated heavy truck traffic creates vibrations felt inside homes. Residents report wall cracks, settlement concerns, driveway damage, and structural stress from years of constant heavy vehicle passage.

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24/7 Noise Disruption

Truck activity doesn't stop at night. Residents report disturbances between 1 AM and 5 AM — engine noise, compression braking, trailer rattle, and low-frequency rumble that disrupts sleep community-wide.

Danger Points

Documented Hazard Locations

Residents have identified multiple recurring danger zones along the Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road corridor where truck conflicts are most severe.

⤷ Marsh Road Cut-Through Route

Highlighted route showing the primary residential disturbance corridor along Marsh Road — from Carter Rd south through Little Haw Bridge, the Old Daytona intersection, and down to US-92. This is the main path trucks use to bypass congestion on SR-11 and US-92.

⤷ Old Daytona Road Cut-Through Route

Highlighted route showing the truck bypass corridor along Old Daytona Road from the Marsh/Old Daytona intersection east to US-92. This secondary cut-through disturbs residents along Old Daytona Road with heavy truck traffic day and night.

US-92 / Marsh Rd Intersection

Southern entry point where Marsh Road meets US-92 (International Speedway Blvd). Trucks enter and exit the residential corridor here. The intersection design was never intended for the volume and size of commercial vehicles now using it daily.

Carter Rd / Marsh Rd Intersection

Poor sight lines at this intersection where Carter Road meets Marsh Road. Large trucks coming around the surrounding blind corners create dangerous conflicts for residents pulling out of driveways and side roads. Near-miss incidents are common here.

Old Daytona Rd / US-92 Exit

Semis cutting through from SR-11 block the hard corner at US-92, causing total blockage and preventing cars from exiting or entering safely. County staff acknowledged this as concerning. The tight curve makes it physically impossible for large trucks to stay in their lane.

Marsh Bend (Stetson Golf Training Facility)

Tight curve near Marsh Bend Rd adjacent to the Stetson golf training facility. Trucks cross the center line routinely on this curve. Passenger vehicles have been forced to stop completely in the oncoming lane to let trucks pass, creating head-on collision risk.

Marsh / Old Daytona Intersection

Center of the cut-through corridor where Marsh Road meets Old Daytona Road. The curve adjacent to this intersection has severely limited sight distance — large truck turning movements create lane conflicts and blocked sightlines for all traffic approaching from either direction.

Little Haw Bridge

Dump trucks go over the center line at the bridge, creating danger for drivers, cyclists, and people fishing near the waterway. Long-time residents recall that this bridge always had a posted weight limit — until the signs went missing a few years ago and were never replaced. The bridge has visible structural cracks that appear to have been temporarily patched rather than properly repaired.

Evidence

Documented. Recorded. Undeniable.

This is not speculation. These images come from security cameras, Frigate NVR systems, and resident phones — capturing what happens on these roads every day.

Video Evidence

Watch What Residents Experience

Photos show position. Video shows speed, noise, and the near-miss moments that residents live with day and night. All clips below are from May 2026. More video will be uploaded soon — there is plenty of submitted footage to show.

⚠ Near-Miss · Marsh Bend / Stetson

Logging Truck Forces Oncoming Motorist to Stop in the Opposite Lane

Loaded logging truck rounds the Marsh Bend curve near the Stetson facility so far over the center line that the oncoming motorist has to come to a complete stop in the wrong lane to avoid a head-on collision.

This is the scenario residents describe in writing — captured on video. Even at a moderate speed, the truck's swept path cannot stay inside its lane on this curve. There is no shoulder and no recovery space.

⚠ May 12 Crash · Security Cam · 23:10:01

Run-Off-Road Captured at Old Daytona / Marsh Curve

Marsh Road south security camera, May 12, 2026, 23:10:01–23:11:05. The actual moment of the run-off-road at the curve named in both rebuttals filed earlier the same day. Witness Timothy Meeske messaged at 11:14 PM. No police report.

Compression Brake · Southbound

Allen Tractor Service — Southbound Jake Brake (View 1)

Southbound dump truck using engine compression braking through the residential corridor. Audible from inside homes.

Compression Brake · Southbound

Allen Tractor Service — Southbound Jake Brake (View 2)

Second angle of the same southbound Jake-brake pattern — showing the corridor-wide noise impact, not a single point source.

Acceleration · Northbound

Allen Tractor Service — Northbound Jake & Acceleration (View 1)

Northbound truck combining engine-brake noise with hard acceleration through the residential zone.

Acceleration · Northbound

Allen Tractor Service — Northbound Jake & Acceleration (View 2)

Second view of the northbound Jake-and-acceleration pattern from the May 11, 2026 noise incident documented in the VCSO supervisory complaint.

Truck at 4:12 AM on camera Truck at 3:46 AM on camera
Round-the-Clock Disturbance

Trucks at 3:46 AM.
And All Day Long.

This isn't just a rush-hour problem. Heavy commercial vehicles use these roads 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nighttime brings the worst sleep disruption — logging trucks, semis, and dump trucks passing through between 1 AM and 5 AM, shaking homes, waking families, and creating hazards on unlit roads.

During daytime hours, the traffic is relentless. When FDOT had a repaving project on SR-40/FL-11, dump trucks were passing through the neighborhood every 5–10 minutes, 24 hours a day — turning residential roads into a continuous industrial conveyor belt.

Security cameras with audio monitoring show that this is not occasional — it is a constant, ongoing presence that degrades the quality of life for the entire neighborhood around the clock.

24/7 Truck Traffic Documented
5–10 min Surge Frequency During FDOT Projects
1–5 AM Worst Sleep Disruption Window
Resident Impact

This is What It's Like to Live Here

These are real experiences from residents of DeLand Highlands who live along these roads and deal with this every day.

"I had to slam my brakes on the curve near the golf facility because a logging truck was completely in my lane. My kids were in the car. There was nowhere to go."

— Marsh Road Resident

"The trucks come through at 3 AM, 4 AM — but it's not just nighttime. They run 24 hours a day sometimes. The whole house shakes. Our walls have developed cracks that weren't there two years ago. We can't sleep, and during the day there's no break either."

— Old Daytona Road Resident

"I'm afraid to back out of my own driveway. You can't see around the curve, and by the time you hear the truck it's already on top of you."

— Marsh Road Resident

"We ride bicycles on this road. Having a dump truck blow past you doing 50 on a road with no shoulder — it's terrifying. Someone is going to get killed."

— Local Cyclist

"When FDOT was repaving SR-40 and FL-11, dump trucks were coming through every 5 to 10 minutes — all day, all night, for weeks. It felt like living on an industrial haul road. That's what this corridor becomes when there's any project nearby."

— DeLand Highlands Resident

"We have trucks, motorcycles, and big rigs flying by our house on a regular basis. The screaming jake brakes are constant. Big rigs should not be allowed down this road. And now there is so much more traffic in the mornings because of vehicles coming off of Route 11 to use it as a short cut. We don't need to widen this road — we just want something done about the trucks."

— Marsh Road Resident

"I was run off Marsh Road around 5:45 yesterday by a semi truck. He took the curve halfway in my lane. I pulled off and honked my horn — if he came any closer I would have had to take out a fence. Scary."

— Marsh Road Resident

"Why can't they put up signs saying 'No through truck traffic'? Marsh Road has semi traffic all day long. It's impossible to walk along the road anymore and I've lived in my home for 50 years. It's even scary to try and get our mail from our mailbox. Something definitely needs to be done."

— Anne Ross, Marsh Road Resident · 50-Year Homeowner

"Add Oak Street to the list. I've been here 29 years and the average speed in a 30 mph zone is 50 to 80 mph. Oak is only a quarter mile long from Old Daytona to US-92. Local residents are just as guilty as anyone — renters, not owners. I see the same violators go by my home every day speeding. 'Not my home, I don't care' attitude. Extremely dangerous."

— James Hodge, DeLand Highlands · 29-Year Resident

"I have to make sure my life insurance is up to date every time I cross Old Daytona Road to get my mail. Funny — not funny. I have reached out to the County several times to see about getting speed bumps put in. They want the residents to foot the bill to upwards of $10,000 for each one, to increase their taxes. This is a huge danger to all residents — not a luxury."

— Angela Garrone, DeLand Highlands Resident

"I live on Marsh near Daugherty Road. I have complained numerous times about speeders, especially motorcyclists. Almost daily I have almost been hit by speeders while crossing Marsh to get to my mailbox. I've called the Volusia County Sheriff's Department non-emergency line due to the number of deer and Sandhill Cranes killed by speeders in front of my house. Had a deputy call back but never any patrols on my end of Marsh. I have spoken in person to a deputy and asked for patrols to no avail. Speed limit is 35 on my end due to curves, but speeders go 50 and 60 — motorcycles up to 90. There have been two serious motorcycle accidents on the curve nearest me, as well as cars, because of speed. My poor neighbor finally stopped repairing her fence because it has been hit so many times."

— Pat Nicholson, Marsh Road / Daugherty Road Resident
Historical Record

Decades of Complaints. Decades of Promises.

This is not a new problem. Residents along Marsh Road and the DeLand Highlands corridor have been organizing — and being promised action — for at least sixty years. The newspapers tell the story in the county's own words.

The pattern in the documents below is unmistakable: residents organize, officials acknowledge the problem, officials promise to investigate, and the conditions persist into the next decade. The May 2026 run-off-road incident at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve did not come out of nowhere — it landed on a road residents have been raising the alarm about since 1964.

1955 Daytona Beach Morning Journal · Jul 3

DeLand Highlands Marketed as a Quiet Retirement Subdivision

A classified real-estate ad sells "Ideal Retirement Homes — DeLand Highlands Subdivision," located "17 miles west of Daytona Beach, 3 miles east of DeLand. Turn north at 'DeLand Highlands' signs on Highway 92."

This establishes what the neighborhood was sold to residents as from the very start: a quiet residential community off US‑92 — not the commercial-truck cut-through it has become.

📄 1955 Ad (PDF)
1964 · June Daytona Beach Morning Journal · Jun 17

Residents Petition for a Traffic Light at US‑92 / Marsh Road

The DeLand Highlands Betterment League hosted City Commissioner and County Commission candidate Deane Smith. Residents raised road improvements and asked specifically for a traffic light at US‑92 and Marsh Road.

Smith "agreed to the need for a traffic light at the U.S. 92 – Marsh Road intersection" — but cautioned, "I won't promise something I couldn't produce." — Daytona Beach Morning Journal, June 17, 1964

That traffic light, first agreed to in 1964, is finally programmed under FDOT Project 992600-1, currently in the Design phase per the November 24, 2025 project page. Roughly 61 years between the promise on a campaign trail and a real design-cost line item. See the 2025 entry below for the FDOT project record.

📄 1964 Article (PDF)
1964 · September Daytona Beach News-Journal · Sep 11

Hurricane Dora Undermines Marsh Road

Hurricane Dora aftermath reporting noted: "Northeast of DeLand, Miller Canal washed out, undermining Marsh Road. Residents in the area, however, still have access via Carter Road."

Documents Marsh Road's structural vulnerability — and confirms Carter Road as an established alternate route in the corridor since at least 1964. This matters now because residents are not asking to be cut off; alternate routes exist.

📄 1964 Hurricane Coverage (PDF)
1965 · November Daytona Beach Morning Journal · Nov 5

Betterment League's First Documented Petition — 100 Signatures Against Airport Traffic

Just over a year after the 1964 meeting where Smith promised the signal, the DeLand Highlands Betterment League is back in the paper — this time with a 100-signature petition opposing NASCAR drag racing at the DeLand Airport. League President George Leeper presented the petition. Resident Ray Hague raised exactly the issue that runs through every subsequent decade of this story:

"Ray Hague, another DeLand Highlands resident, opposed the NASCAR racing on grounds it would create an objectionable traffic problem on Old Daytona Road." — Daytona Beach Morning Journal, November 5, 1965
1965 Daytona Beach Morning Journal article on DeLand Highlands Betterment League petition against NASCAR drag racing

Click to read the full Nov 5, 1965 page (PDF).

The same Betterment League. The same Old Daytona Road. The same complaint about external traffic being dumped onto a residential road. Sixty-one years before the May 12, 2026 run-off-road incident at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve.

1968 · July Daytona Beach News-Journal · Jul 19

"They've Been Getting the Runaround for Four Years"

Residents of the Marsh Road area filed a petition with the County Commission. Mrs. Gordon Skillman led the delegation.

Residents "complained to the County Commission Thursday that they've been getting the runaround for four years." Sheriff Rodney Thursby called the condition "deplorable" and said it had "existed for years." District 1 Commissioner Hubert Jacobs and others "promised Mrs. Skillman that they will investigate… and see that something is done." — Daytona Beach News-Journal, July 19, 1968
📄 1968 Article (PDF)
1968 · August Daytona Beach Morning Journal · Aug 2

Commissioner Strickland Names the Pattern Out Loud

Two weeks after the July petition, Marsh Road residents "asked again" for action. An eight-member delegation led by Mrs. Skillman disputed the county's softer characterization of the problem.

Commissioner Robert Strickland: "You have been getting complaints about this for five years. It looks as if the Health Dept. could have done something about it by now." — Daytona Beach Morning Journal, August 2, 1968

A sitting county commissioner publicly acknowledging — in 1968 — that Marsh Road residents had been complaining for five years already without resolution.

📄 1968 Follow-Up (PDF)
1977 · February Daytona Beach Morning Journal · Feb 22

Old Daytona Road Partial Closure — League Negotiates Pedestrian & Bicycle Access

The DeLand City Commission approved closing a portion of Old Daytona Road along the south end of one of the airport runways. The Betterment League didn't oppose the closure outright — they sent a letter accepting it on conditions: the city had to leave space for pedestrian and bicycle access. Organized residents negotiating outcomes, not just protesting.

"Commissioners approved on second reading an ordinance closing a portion of the Old Daytona Road which runs along the south end of one of the runways at the DeLand airport. … Nearby residents of the DeLand Highlands Betterment League sent a letter. It said they'd accept the closing if the city would leave space for pedestrians and bicycle access to the road." — Daytona Beach Morning Journal, February 22, 1977
1977 Daytona Beach Morning Journal article on Old Daytona Road closure and Betterment League conditions

Click to read the full Feb 22, 1977 page (PDF).

1983 · May Daytona Beach Morning Journal · May 14

League Asks Volusia County for a Marsh Road Traffic Count — Officials Say "Nothing Can Be Done"

The single most-direct article in the historical record. The Betterment League officers met with the Volusia County Zoning Commission about traffic on Marsh Road tied to the new City of DeLand athletic complex. League President Virginia Bolek asked the commission to install a traffic count so the situation could be measured.

"The officers of the DeLand Highlands Betterment League recently met with the Volusia County Zoning Commission to discuss possible problems concerning traffic in the area and along Marsh Road with the construction of the new City of DeLand athletic complex. The league was told nothing could be done until the commission could see what the situation was going to be. League President Virginia Bolek asked if the commission would consider putting in a traffic count in order to get an idea of what was happening." — Daytona Beach Morning Journal, May 14, 1983
1983 Daytona Beach Morning Journal article on DeLand Highlands Betterment League asking for Marsh Road traffic count

Click to read the full May 14, 1983 page (PDF).

Forty-three years later — May 12, 2026 — the County Engineer's response is structurally identical: "the County does not do swept-path analysis on roads… truck traffic does not appear to have created an unsafe condition based on past crash data." Same road, same ask for objective measurement, same "wait and see" posture from the County.

1983 · June Daytona Beach Morning Journal · Jun 18

Thirty Homeowners Beat a Mobile Home Park Application

Organized residents won again. A group of 30 concerned homeowners turned out at the zoning commission to oppose a proposed 32-acre mobile home park in the DeLand Highlands area. The commission recommended denial. Evidence that the corridor's residents do show up when called, and do get results when officials engage with the substance.

"A group of 30 concerned homeowners met with the zoning commission Tuesday at 1 p.m. to voice their opinion of a proposed 32 acres mobile home park to be constructed in the DeLand Highlands area. The zoning commission… noted the group's concern and said it would recommend a denial of application to the county council." — Daytona Beach Morning Journal, June 18, 1983
1983 article on 30 DeLand Highlands homeowners opposing mobile home park

Click to read the full June 18, 1983 page (PDF).

1983 · October Daytona Beach Morning Journal · Oct 1

League's Annual Meeting — Marsh & Kepler Drainage Issues at Old Daytona Road

At the League's annual fall meeting, members discussed drainage problems on Old Daytona Road at both Kepler and Marsh Roads. A committee was formed to work directly with Volusia County on resolution. A second verbatim "Marsh Road" reference, paired with active organizing on physical-road conditions at the exact intersections residents are still flagging.

"The members discussed the dog control ordinance, past and present problems with animals in the area and drainage problems on Old Daytona Road at both Kepler and Marsh Roads. A committee has been formed to work with Volusia County on the problems." — Daytona Beach Morning Journal, October 1, 1983
1983 article on DeLand Highlands Betterment League annual meeting addressing Marsh Road drainage

Click to read the full Oct 1, 1983 page (PDF).

1995 The Volusian · Oct 5

"A Veritable Death Trap" — Cynthia Joan Bruce, 2999 Marsh Road

A published letter from a Marsh Road resident.

"Marsh Road… is a veritable death trap for pedestrians, bicyclists, joggers, walkers, dog walkers and wild animals." The road has "many perilous curves, hairpin turns, big and little dips and a series of hills." Motorcycle groups race late at night creating "vibrations that my bed actually shakes." "Marsh Road has a history of accidents and deaths." — Cynthia Joan Bruce, The Volusian, October 5, 1995

County traffic engineer Malcolm Smith responded in an editor's note: "Deputies have targeted Marsh Road for traffic enforcement and the county is looking at more permanent changes to help slow traffic… Speed bumps… are prohibited by the state."

Every complaint in 1995 — speed, curves, vibration shaking buildings, danger to pedestrians and cyclists — is the same complaint residents are filing in 2026.

📄 1995 Letter (PDF)
1996 Orlando Sentinel · Oct 23

City Acknowledges Marsh Road Shouldn't Be the Overflow Route

At a DeLand City Commission meeting, Marsh Road residents objected to motorcycle drag-racing event traffic at the DeLand Municipal Airport during Bike Week, calling the resulting traffic on Marsh Road "intolerable."

Commissioners voted 3-1 to allow one more year only, and suggested the airport's main runway be closed briefly after races so traffic could exit through the city's industrial park "instead of Marsh Road."

City officials acknowledging — on the record, in 1996 — that Marsh Road is not an appropriate overflow / event / industrial-traffic route. That principle has not changed. The traffic has.

📄 1996 Article (PDF)
2025 · November FDOT Project 992600-1 · CFLRoads.com

FDOT Finally Programs the 1964 Traffic Signal — 61 Years Later

The Florida Department of Transportation publishes Project 992600-1: "U.S. 92 at Marsh Road — Installation of new traffic signal with crosswalks and upgraded intersection lighting." The project page is last updated November 24, 2025.

"A traffic study conducted by the Department has determined that a new traffic signal is warranted at the intersection of U.S. 92 at Marsh Road in Volusia County. The installation of this signal is intended to improve overall safety and enhance traffic operations at the intersection." — FDOT Project 992600-1, project description, accessed via CFLRoads.com

Project specifics: Work Type: Traffic Signal Work · Phase: Design · Length: 0.1 miles · Design Cost: $60,000 · Part of FDOT's Traffic Operations Pushbutton Program. Scope includes the signal system, pedestrian crosswalks, and upgraded intersection lighting. Design Project Manager: David Brock, (386) 943-5316.

This is the official, verifiable validation of the 1964 promise: the signal residents asked for at the DeLand Highlands Betterment League meeting on June 17, 1964 is — finally — an FDOT line item with a project number, a manager, and a design budget. But the project is still in Design phase as of late 2025, meaning construction comes after that. A traffic signal at US-92 / Marsh Road will not fix the curve at Old Daytona / Marsh, the lane width, the obstructed signage, the cut-through truck traffic, or the noise and vibration.

🔗 FDOT Project 992600-1 (CFLRoads)
2026 · Jan – Apr Volusia County Council · Six Consecutive Public Participations

Residents Take the Same Complaint to Council Six Times in Five Months

Even with the US-92 / Marsh Road signal finally programmed, residents knew a single intersection signal would not fix the cut-through truck traffic, the 10-foot lanes, the obstructed Turn-ahead sign at Old Daytona / Marsh, or the noise and vibration. Between January 20 and April 21, 2026, Marsh Road residents addressed the Volusia County Council at six consecutive public-participation segments:

📍 Jan 20 — Dickinson + Samper 📍 Feb 17 — Dickinson + Sandusky + Perez 📍 Mar 3 — Dickinson 📍 Mar 17 — Dickinson + Recktenwald response 📍 Apr 7 — Dickinson + Sandusky 📍 Apr 21 — Dickinson · threatened with arrest

Every meeting raised the same set of issues — substandard 10-foot lanes, weight-limit signs that were removed, dump-truck activity at 6:39 AM and 3 AM, the Old Daytona / Marsh curve, 60 mph speeds in a 35 mph zone, near-misses with cyclists. On March 17, 2026, the County Manager responded on the record that "the bridge has a 99 health rating, there is no County diversion effort, enforcement is FHP not County, and the road is built for heavy farm equipment." The same posture is rebutted in the Engineering Rebuttal section below — under Florida statutes that already give the County authority to act.

Click any meeting above to jump to its photo, quote, and full transcript.

2026 · May 12 Today

A Commercial Truck Runs Off the Road at the Old Daytona / Marsh Curve — Captured on a Resident's Security Camera at 23:10:01

On the same day residents filed two formal safety challenges with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office and the Volusia County Engineer's Office, a commercial service vehicle ran off the road at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve. The Marsh Road south security camera captured the moment at 23:10:01. Four minutes later, Old Daytona resident Timothy Meeske messaged the resident: "Yo. Someone in the tree on Marsh."

This is the same curve residents have been writing to elected officials about for sixty years, at a location where the yellow Turn-ahead warning sign is documented as obscured by overgrown vegetation. VCSO did not respond for over an hour. No police report was filed. The crash exists in resident security-camera footage and a witness's text message — not in any County data.

FDOT Project 992600-1 — the 1964 US‑92 / Marsh Road traffic signal — is now officially in Design phase. That signal will not fix the curve at Old Daytona / Marsh, the cut-through truck traffic, the lane width, the obstructed signage, or the noise and vibration.

The Throughline Is 60 Years Old

Marsh Road residents have organized as a group (Betterment League 1964, Skillman's 8-member delegation 1968, the 1996 Bike Week objectors, the 2026 Council Public Participation lineup) and individually (Bruce 1995). They have raised essentially the same issues — speed, vibration, road damage, danger to non-motorists, the road being used as a cut-through — and have been met with promises to investigate, temporary enforcement, and statements that the road shouldn't be used that way while the underlying conditions persisted. The next promise will not fix it. Engineering, geometry analysis, and truck restrictions will.

Community Action

Neighbors Showing Up at County Council

Residents of the Marsh Road / Old Daytona Road corridor have not just filed paperwork — they have stood up during Public Participation at the Volusia County Council and put this issue on the record, on camera, and in the minutes. Below: appearances on January 20, February 17, and April 7, 2026.

January 20, 2026 — Public Participation

Mary Dickinson speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation, January 20, 2026
Volusia County Council · January 20, 2026

Mary Dickinson at the Podium — Jan 20, 2026

Marsh Road resident Mary Dickinson opens the public testimony on the corridor at the first 2026 council appearance.

"I'm here to speak about the Marsh Road catastrophe that Volusia County has created in our neighborhood — destroying our roads, homes, our property. Marsh Road is classified as a local collector road. It is officially recognized for its substandard geometry. The road features horizontal curves and vertical hills that do not meet modern federal or state standards or heavy-truck sight distance. … It was historically constructed as a low-volume road."

"The most important legal tool for local residents is Volusia County Code Section 72-287 — 'No truck-tractor, semi-trailer … or any other truck with a gross vehicle weight greater than 10,500 pounds … shall be parked or stored except while being actively loaded or unloaded for a legitimate commercial purpose in the residential and agricultural classifications.'"

"Volusia County has decided to sell dirt to other counties — and they are running their dump trucks down our route."

— Mary Dickinson · Jan 20, 2026
Norman Samper speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation, January 20, 2026
Volusia County Council · January 20, 2026

Norman Samper at the Podium — Jan 20, 2026

Marsh Road resident Norman Samper speaks immediately after Mary Dickinson.

"I also live on Marsh Road like Mary over here, and I'm here to ask if we can work on this problem we have with that heavy traffic — not just the regular traffic. Trucks, 18-wheelers, dump trucks — they are creating a big problem. The speed and the noise. They are tearing up the road, but also the fact that it is a country road. It was usually used by joggers who live down the road a ways, horse farms and so on. People are getting killed on that road. Cyclists. And these guys found a way to cut around Highway 11 — and they are abusing the system. They don't care. It's not their homes or children playing out in the road."

— Norman Samper · Jan 20, 2026
📜 Read the Jan 20, 2026 Public Participation Transcript (Marsh Road portions)

Mary Dickinson

"Thank you. I'm here to speak about the Marsh Road catastrophe that Volusia County has created in our neighborhood — destroying our roads, homes, our property. Marsh Road, DeLand, Volusia County — the winding and hilly nature — in Volusia County's planning and zoning documents Marsh Road is classified as a local collector road because it runs through the rolling terrain east of DeLand near the Lake George / Tiger Bay area transition."

"It is officially recognized for its substandard geometry. The road features horizontal curves and vertical hills that do not meet modern federal or state standards or heavy-truck sight distance. This means a heavy truck cannot safely see far enough over a crest or around a curve to stop for a stationary car, a school bus, or a pedestrian."

"Pavement condition: it was historically constructed as a low-volume road. That means the internal structure lacks the deep reinforced lime-rock base and thick asphalt layers required to support the repetitive high-impact weight of industrial vehicles like logging trucks or dump trucks."

"The commercial ban — Volusia County Code 72-287 — the most important legal tool for local residents is Volusia County Code Section 72-287. While this ordinance is often called a parking rule, it is the primary law used to stop industrial through-traffic in residential zones. The full ordinance quote: 'No truck-tractor, semi-trailer, commercial bus, cutaway van chassis-cab truck, or any other truck with a gross vehicle weight greater than 10,500 pounds, as determined by the greater of the vehicle registration or the manufacturer's specifications, shall be parked or stored except while being actively loaded or unloaded for a legitimate commercial purpose in the residential and agricultural classifications.' How this stops driving and through-traffic: the active-loading requirement under this law — a vehicle over 5.25 tons is only permitted in this zone if it has a specific commercial destination."

[Chair Brower: "Thank you, Mary. Your time is up, I'm sorry."]

"Well — Volusia County has decided to sell dirt to other counties and they are running their dump trucks down our route."

Norman Samper

"Good afternoon, gentlemen, ladies. I also live on Marsh Road like Mary over here, and I'm here to ask if we can work on this problem we have with that heavy traffic — not just the regular traffic. Trucks, 18-wheelers, dump trucks — and they are creating a big problem. The speed and the noise — they are tearing up the road, of course, which you said, but also the fact that it is a country road. It was usually used by joggers who live down the road a ways, horse farms and so on. But I'm just here to ask for your help to get these problems fixed — it's dangerous. People are getting killed on that road. Cyclists. And these guys found a way to cut around Highway 11, and they are abusing the system. They don't care. It's not their homes or children playing out in the road. So anyway — I ask for your help, guys. I would appreciate it if you would get it fixed."

📄 Download the full Jan 20, 2026 transcript (TXT)

February 17, 2026 — Public Participation

Mary Dickinson speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation, February 17, 2026
Volusia County Council · February 17, 2026

Mary Dickinson — Second Council Appearance

One month after the first appearance: weight-limit signs, road damage, utility easement.

"Under state law, the weight limit on our substandard road is 10,500 pounds, which equals 5.25 tons. Put our weight-limit signs back up. You all took them down for your convenience. Repair our roads and the Highlands you have caused damage to. Move all utilities to your 5-foot easement. You have caused a lot of ground movement and detriment in our homes."

— Mary Dickinson · Feb 17, 2026
Justin Sandusky speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation, February 17, 2026
Volusia County Council · February 17, 2026

Justin Sandusky — First Detailed Engineering Testimony

Lane widths, geometry, the specific asks: weight restrictions, traffic calming, no-through-truck signage, redirect to Edison Drive.

"Our residential neighborhood is being used as an unintended industrial bypass corridor, specifically along Marsh Road and Old Daytona. These roads were never designated to handle the commercial traffic we are experiencing. Marsh Road is approximately 20 feet wide with 10-foot lanes; Old Daytona even narrower at 18 feet wide with 9-foot lanes — and when large dump trucks travel these roads they are forced to ride the centerline to remain on pavement. … We are asking the Council for targeted relief: weight restrictions, traffic-calming measures, no-through-truck signage, and industrial traffic should be redirected to appropriate corridors such as Edison Drive."

— Justin Sandusky · Feb 17, 2026

"I live on Marsh Road. … I do have the white lines on the side of my road — I didn't know that was from heavy traffic." (Mr. Perez had come to address a separate Port Volusia issue but acknowledged the Marsh Road pavement-edge deterioration on the record.)

— Gabriel Perez, Marsh Road resident · Feb 17, 2026
📜 Read the Feb 17, 2026 Public Participation Transcript (Marsh Road portions)

Mary Dickinson

"My name is Mary Dickinson and I live on Marsh Road and I have two things to say and I'm going to say it now. Under state law the weight limit on our substandard road is 10,500 pounds which equals 5.25 tons. Put our weight limit signs back up. You all took them down for your convenience. Repair our roads and the highlands you have caused damage to. Move all utilities to your 5 foot easement. You have caused a lot of ground movement and detriment in our homes."

"The next is the seven cents a gallon gas tax is an illegal tax. As of 2005. Rescind the tax now. You have used taxpayer funds to do beach restoration that were allocated to pave every dirt road in Volusia County by 2005. You have kept renewing this tax and now you've just renewed it again and the dirt roads are still dirt. Thank you."

Justin Sandusky

"Good afternoon council, my name is Justin Sandusky off Marsh Road and I'm here today because our residential neighborhood is being used as an unintended industrial bypass corridor, specifically along Marsh Road and Old Daytona. These roads were never designated to handle the commercial traffic we are experiencing. Marsh Road is approximately 20 feet wide with 10-foot lanes, Old Daytona even narrower at 18 feet wide with 9-foot lanes, and when large dump trucks travel these roads they are forced to ride the centerline to remain on pavement. This creates a daily safety hazard on blind corners, especially near the golf facility on Marsh Road."

"Passenger vehicles are forced to come to a stop or pull off the road entirely to allow these trucks to pass. This is not a congestion problem; it is a roadway geometry problem that makes safe travel difficult when trucks are present. The level of traffic was not how Marsh Road was operated when I moved in — it was a country one. The escalation is a recent development that has occurred over the last 3 to 4 years, and I have direct visibility into this activity through camera coverage along Marsh Road and Old Daytona. I've been able to observe cut-through traffic patterns. These trucks are not making local deliveries — they are using our neighborhood to bypass traffic controls while traveling between corridors. Functionally our roads are treated like an extension of an industrial route without the infrastructure to support that use."

"This occurs at all hours, including 2, 3, 4 and 5 a.m. The vibration is strong enough to rattle homes. It is not just a nuisance — they are causing physical impacts. Many homes sit close to the roadway because it's a residential development, not engineered for truck traffic. Residents are observing cracks. With truck volume, we have cyclists, children, and inexperienced drivers in the neighborhood. Some residents are hesitant to back into their own driveways because of speeding traffic on their residential road."

"Looking ahead, we are concerned about future diversion with the signal plans for the US-92 intersection. There is a strong likelihood more commercial vehicles will bypass the line, since there are multiple entries through the DeLand Highlands. We are asking the Council for targeted relief: first, implement weight restrictions to prohibit through-truck traffic on Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road; second, install traffic-calming measures such as multi-way stop control; third, post no-through-truck signage, and industrial traffic should be redirected to appropriate corridors such as Edison Drive. Residents have raised concerns without resolution, and we are asking for intervention now, before a serious accident or further property damage occurs on our residential corridors. Thank you for your time and consideration."

Gabriel Perez

"My name is Gabriel Perez and I live in DeLand, Florida — I live on Marsh Road, didn't know that was a topic. I wasn't coming to speak about this. I do have the white lines on the side of my road — I didn't know that was from heavy traffic. So I came to speak about the Port Volusia issue that they were speaking of earlier …" (remainder addressed separate parking/port issues, not Marsh Road)

📄 Download the full Feb 17, 2026 transcript (TXT)

March 3, 2026 — Public Participation

Mary Dickinson speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation, March 3, 2026
Volusia County Council · March 3, 2026

Mary Dickinson — Third Appearance · Quiet-Hours Statute

Dump-truck counts by the hour, photo evidence at 6:39 AM, named operators, the state's quiet-time ordinance.

"There is an ordinance in this state — a quiet time, from 10 PM at night until 8 AM in the morning. These are pictures of dump trucks coming through our neighborhood at 6:39 AM. … Allen Plumbing, CFP Outdoors, and Eddie V are major offenders. Marsh Road had weight-limit signs and so did Carter Road and Daltrey Road — the weight limit is 10,500 pounds. Those dump trucks weigh 25 tons."

— Mary Dickinson · Mar 3, 2026
📜 Read the Mar 3, 2026 Public Participation Transcript (Marsh Road portions)

Mary Dickinson

"You will be seeing a lot of me until you all decide to take care of Marsh Road and all of us old people over there. Because our subdivision is an elderly subdivision and we are being very well mistreated by this commission, this County and the city."

"There is an ordinance in this state — a quiet time, from 10 PM at night until 8 AM in the morning. These are pictures of dump trucks coming through our neighborhood at 6:39 AM. We have had them coming through our neighborhood 24/7. This is from 7:14 AM to 11:10 AM — 24 dump trucks within that short period of time. This one is from 11:12 AM to 4:31 PM — another 24 dump trucks. Allen Plumbing, CFP Outdoors, and Eddie V are major offenders."

"We have now gotten our sidewalks cracking up from the road movement. Our roads are cracking with 2-inch holes through them. They are running down the road and it's becoming grated. You cannot even sit in your front yard in peace — of any kind of peace — and not be stressed out. We are sick and tired of it. They are now cutting down the roads that are running in our subdivision and tearing them up. At 6:39 AM in the morning they are waking up people on both sides of the road."

"Marsh Road had weight-limit signs and so did Carter Road and Daltrey Road — the weight limit is 10,500 pounds. Those dump trucks weigh 25 tons. They are moving the road base. The road is cracked up. The bridge at Sperling Sports Stadium had a weight limit on it — but those signs have been pulled out. Because when you all decided to divert traffic from Highway 11 down Carter Road, Daltrey Road, and Marsh Road, Marsh Road is a road that has a long ride and people think they can go 60 mph."

📄 Download the full Mar 3, 2026 transcript (TXT)

March 17, 2026 — Public Participation + County Manager Response

Mary Dickinson speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation, March 17, 2026
Volusia County Council · March 17, 2026

Mary Dickinson — Fourth Appearance · "Almost Killed on That Curve"

Bridge weight limit, 40-ton logging trucks, near-miss at Old Daytona / Marsh curve, dump truck illegally passing bicyclists.

"The bridge on Marsh Road is a substandard structure; it has a 10-ton weight limit on it. You have 40-ton logging trucks using the bridge. … We have these dump trucks that are 25 tons running down our substandard road that has a weight limit of 10,500 pounds. It shakes our homes — it is like thunder under our homes."

"I was on Marsh Road right at Old Daytona, and there is a curve there that you cannot take and get around. And I was almost killed on that curve."

— Mary Dickinson · Mar 17, 2026
Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald
County Manager · Mar 17, 2026 · Closing Comments

George Recktenwald — On the Record Response

Volusia County Manager responding from his seat at the dais after Public Participation. (Stock photo — Recktenwald was off-camera during the closing-comments response.)

County Manager Response · Same Meeting

"The lady that is commenting on Marsh Road — we have to address this. The bridge she keeps mentioning, we have the inspection report on the bridge — there is no 10-ton limit on it. In fact, the FDOT issued a sufficiency rating of 96 and a health rating of 99 out of 100. … There is no County effort or anything to divert anybody there. … Enforcement is usually done by the FHP — not by the County. The road is built to a standard that would allow heavy farm equipment, and therefore trucks of that nature would be on that road."

— George Recktenwald, Volusia County Manager · Mar 17, 2026

📘 Rebuttal — What Florida Law Actually Allows

A bridge sufficiency / health rating addresses the structural capacity of one structure. It says nothing about roadway geometry, lane width, sight distance, or the County's police-power authority over local roads. Florida law gives Volusia County independent, abundant authority to act, regardless of bridge ratings:

Fla. Stat. § 316.555 (Weight, load, length and speed limitations on local roads) — expressly authorizes local authorities to impose load, weight, height, length, width, and speed restrictions on roads under their jurisdiction by ordinance, and to post lower weight limits than the statewide maximum where local conditions warrant.

Fla. Stat. § 316.008(1)(a),(g),(h) — local authorities have express police-power authority to regulate the operation of trucks, designate truck routes, and impose load/weight limits on roadways within their jurisdiction.

Fla. Stat. § 316.006(2)(a) + § 316.008(1)(g) — counties may, by ordinance, prohibit through-truck traffic on roads not designated as truck routes, while permitting trucks making bona-fide local deliveries ("No Through Trucks — Local Delivery Excepted," MUTCD signs R5-4 / R5-2, adopted in Florida by reference at Fla. Admin. Code R. 14-15.010).

Fla. Stat. § 336.02 — vests the Board of County Commissioners with general supervision and jurisdiction over all county roads, including authority to designate routes for heavy traffic to appropriate arterials when reasonable alternatives exist.

Florida Greenbook, adopted at Fla. Admin. Code R. 14-15.002 and made mandatory for non-FDOT roads by Fla. Stat. § 336.045, sets minimum lane widths (11–12 ft) for collectors carrying WB-40/WB-50/WB-62 design vehicles. Marsh Road's measured ~10-foot lanes and Old Daytona's ~9-foot lanes are substandard for any heavy-truck design vehicle.

Fla. Stat. § 125.01(1)(m),(n),(t) — home-rule grant: counties may establish and enforce traffic regulations and ordinances for public health, safety, and welfare on county roads.

Volusia County Code § 72-287 — already prohibits parking/storing of vehicles >10,500 lb GVW in residential and agricultural classifications except for active loading/unloading at a specific commercial destination.

On the "Farm Equipment" Objection

Mr. Recktenwald said "the road is built to a standard that would allow heavy farm equipment, and therefore trucks of that nature would be on that road." The "No Through Trucks — Local Delivery Excepted" standard specifically preserves bona-fide local farm equipment, agricultural movements, and local deliveries. The restriction targets through-traffic — commercial vehicles using Marsh Road as a cut-through corridor between SR-11 and US-92 with no Marsh-Road origin or destination. Farming operations within DeLand Highlands are unaffected.

On Alternative Routing

There are multiple alternate connections from SR-11 to US-92 that bypass the residential portion of Marsh Road altogether, including Edison Drive (specifically named by Justin Sandusky on Feb 17), the SR-11 / US-92 direct movement, and arterial routing via SR-44 / SR-15A. Routing heavy through-trucks to those corridors is exactly what functional road classification exists to do. Residents are not asking the County to land-lock anyone; they are asking the County to use the routing authority it already has.

On "Enforcement Is FHP, Not the County"

Enforcement of a posted restriction is shared between FHP, VCSO, and county code-enforcement (Fla. Stat. § 316.640). But enacting the restriction is squarely a County legislative function — not FDOT's, not FHP's. The bridge sufficiency / health rating discussion is irrelevant to whether the County passes the ordinance.

⚠ The Curve Mr. Recktenwald Said Was Safe — Captured on Camera, 56 Days Later

On March 17, 2026, the County Manager told Council the road "is built to a standard that would allow heavy farm equipment, and therefore trucks of that nature would be on that road." Fifty-six days later, on May 12 at 11:10:01 PM, a commercial service vehicle ran off the road at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve and came to rest in a tree — captured on the resident's own south-facing security camera at the very curve Mary Dickinson had warned, in this same meeting, "I was almost killed on."

▶ Resident security camera · Marsh Road south · May 12, 2026 · 23:10:01 to 23:11:05. Witness Timothy Meeske messaged the resident at 11:14 PM: "Yo. Someone in the tree on Marsh." No police report was filed.

📜 Read the Mar 17, 2026 Public Participation + County Manager Response Transcript (Marsh Road portions)

Mary Dickinson (Morning)

"I'm Mary Dickinson. I live on Marsh Road, as you all will know. The bridge on Marsh Road is a substandard structure; it has a 10-ton weight limit on it. You have 40-ton logging trucks using the bridge. The bridge has been compromised — it had cracks filled with whatever, and they paint over it with white paint to make it look like there is no problem on that bridge."

"Basically, we are still in a dilemma because we have these dump trucks that are 25 tons running down our substandard road that has a weight limit of 10,500 pounds. It shakes our homes — it is like thunder under our homes. My driveway has now cracked all the way to the foundation of my home. The sidewalks are all cracking."

"You all have diverted traffic from Highway 11 — all the weight-limit signs on Daltrey, Carter, and Marsh Road were taken down. They did that to divert traffic onto Marsh Road and Carter Road. They are speeding down Marsh Road at 60 mph. Here is a picture — 51 mph. The next picture is a dump truck — 60 mph in a 35-mile-per-hour zone. No police presence. I've called the police and called them."

"This is another little problem we have with the dump trucks. This is to bicycle riders. We have a number of bicycle riders who ride in a pack down Marsh Road. This dump truck is pushing these bicycle riders. They are moving as fast as they can so don't get run over or run off the road. The dump truck. This happened right in front of my house. The dump truck basically went out and crossed over the double yellow line, which is illegal, and they passed these two bicyclists, and thank God they did not kill them."

"The last commission meeting that I was here was in the morning. I proceeded to go home. I was on Marsh Road right at Old Daytona, and there is a curve there that you cannot take and get around. And I was almost killed on that curve."

George Recktenwald, County Manager (Closing Comments)

"Yes, sir — a couple of things. Earlier today, the lady that is commenting on Marsh Road — I think we have to address this. The bridge she keeps mentioning — we have the inspection report on the bridge. There is no 10-ton limit on it. In fact, the FDOT issued a sufficiency rating of 96 and a health rating of 99 out of 100. The bridge is in excellent condition; there is no 10-ton limit on it. Of course, there is no County effort or anything to divert anybody there. If there was a weight-limit or weight-limit work that needed to be done, enforcement is usually done by the FHP — not by the County. I just want to let everyone know that that is the issue on that road, and the road is built to a standard that would allow heavy farm equipment, and therefore trucks of that nature would be on that road."

[Chair Brower follow-up: "Do you have any idea whether traffic … is there a logging company out there or something?"]

"We have not found anything we have looked at. We don't know of any development interest in particular. We do know of the people on the outside. … People have figured out, if I pull up on 11, that is one way to get around DeLand. And vice versa. … There was a pit out there that was actually turned into a ski lake that is no longer in active operation. There are agricultural interests and stuff out there. People are using heavy equipment stuff on those properties. Yes — I think it is still a cut-through as well. We will look at that. If they are speeding or something going on, that is something for the Sheriff's Department; we can talk to and see if he can step up and have enforcement for that."

📄 Download the full Mar 17, 2026 transcript (TXT)

April 7, 2026 — Public Participation

Mary Dickinson speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation, April 7, 2026
Volusia County Council · April 7, 2026

Mary Dickinson Addresses Council on Marsh Road Safety

DeLand Highlands resident Mary Dickinson at the podium during Public Participation, putting the Marsh Road / Old Daytona Road corridor concerns directly to elected officials and county staff.

Justin Sandusky speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation, April 7, 2026
Volusia County Council · April 7, 2026

Justin Sandusky Addresses Council on Marsh Road Safety

DeLand Highlands resident Justin Sandusky at the podium during Public Participation, continuing the resident testimony on Marsh Road safety. (The county's on-screen caption misspelled the name as "Sandesky" — the correct spelling is Sandusky.)

📜 Read the Apr 7, 2026 Public Participation Transcript (Marsh Road portions)

Mary Dickinson

"Good morning. I'm Mary Dickinson. I live at 2005 Marsh Road. I'm here to speak about Marsh Road. I would appreciate it if it took more than three minutes. So I don't have to file a constitutional violation against this commission, because that fine is only $250,000."

"So, we will start off with this letter, which was put in my mailbox the day after the last commission meeting. 'Dear Mary, your problem with the dump trucks lies with Don Dempsey, who is having hundreds of dump truck loads of dirt delivered to his property.' She gave the address. She gave me directions on how to get there. 'Okay, you will see the big loads of dirt he has been delivered there and made into a huge motocross track for his kids and friends that covers almost 100 acres. Tell George Recktenwald to look into this.' I was flabbergasted. But it came full circle — about what was going on with all the dump trucks running down Marsh Road and destroying the road, our properties, putting cracks in our homes."

"You cannot sleep at 3 o'clock in the morning. Eddie V is going down the road. And our beds are just vibrating in our homes. We've had ground movement. My driveway is cracked. It is separating. The sidewalks — they do belong to us, because Volusia County did not install them. But now I am going to fence my prescriptive easement which goes to the edge of Marsh Road. That happens to be because I have maintained it for over 20 years, and my neighbors. I am maintaining the whole block from Pine to Palmetto. I will be fencing in the sidewalk because I'm not going to be sued because this commission has not done their job because the sidewalks are also cracking up."

"The weight limit on Marsh Road is 10,500 pounds. You have been told over and over. Mr. Recktenwald needs to understand: there is a difference between a connector road and a substandard road. By state standards. State trumps County."

"I will be closing that up because I will not have somebody come down there and fall on that sidewalk. My driveway is cracking. There is a void under there because of the good old city water line that was put in illegally on my property."

[Chair Brower cuts off.]

"We need to dump the dump trucks — because they are over 10,500 pounds."

Justin Sandusky (transcribed as "Dustin" by the county's captioning system)

"Good morning, council. My name is Justin Sandusky. I live in DeLand Highlands off Marsh Road. I'm here again because the situation on Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road is not improving. Our residential neighborhood is used by dump trucks and commercial vehicles as they cut through during late evening and early morning hours, when residents should be able to sleep in peace. It is not just a traffic issue — this is a safety issue, a quality-of-life issue, and an accountability issue."

"Residents continue to observe heavy truck activity connected to property operations that should have received more scrutiny by now. One of the clearest examples is the property at 2830 Marsh Road with Eddie V trucking. From a resident perspective, it is unclear if he is staging and storing dump trucks at the rear. There were already complaints in 2003 — fire-related, wetland modification — on that property. Yet the visible truck activity continues."

"The timing also raises legitimate questions based on the property records I reviewed. The property appears to have been acquired on January 28, 2025 — after the County had moved the truck parking ordinance and sent it back for revision before the ordinance was finally adopted. I'm not claiming a motive in saying the residents have a right to ask whether the County policy change helped enable this truck-related activity that we are now seeing."

"At the same time, companies such as Allen Plumbing, Allen Tractor Service, and other large commercial operators continue to use Marsh Road and Old Daytona as a direct route through the neighborhood. This is not one isolated concern — it is a broader pattern of heavy commercial activity on roads not designed for it."

"What makes it more frustrating is the County's response — or lack of one. Residents sent emails, asked questions, asked repeatedly to get straightforward answers from engineers, managers, and staff. Far too often, the response is silence, delay, or no meaningful answer. Most people are forced to file public records requests. Residents should not have to invoke Chapter 119 just to get basic transparency about what is happening in their own neighborhood."

"It is not just by email. Two weeks ago I came in with Mary Dickinson to ask questions in person. The response we received was evasive and unhelpful. We were treated like asking these questions in committees — residents seeking accountability from government."

"Truck staging or storage that is unlawful when it interferes [Unclear audio] — it is not lawful in the County. That should explain what appears to continue with no visible enforcement."

"Residents are also committed to Marsh Road safety. The site (MarshRoadSafety.org) is already up and is being improved. More information will be posted there. We are asking the Council for clear answers, consistent enforcement, and real action to stop Marsh Road and Old Daytona from continuing to function like a trucking corridor in a residential neighborhood. Thank you for your time."

📄 Download the full Apr 7, 2026 transcript (TXT)

April 21, 2026 — Public Participation

Mary Dickinson speaking at Volusia County Council Public Participation, April 21, 2026
Volusia County Council · April 21, 2026

Mary Dickinson — Sixth Council Appearance · Threatened With Arrest

Ground movement damage, attempt to fence the prescriptive easement for safety, police intimidation, 5-foot easement assertion.

"Mary Dickinson, Marsh Road. Recently we were in here, and with the ground movement on our road from all of the dump trucks and everything — they have moved the ground, and the sidewalk is starting to go. I was going to block it off so people would not walk on it and end up getting their legs cut off when the cement goes down and they are in the hole."

"The cops were called, and they tried to intimidate me. And he threatened me with going to jail. I told them I will take that fence down — here, you guarantee me you are going to be responsible if people get hurt. Because this commission has done nothing to combat the problems that you created on our substandard road. And also, if you want to know, the easement is 5 feet."

— Mary Dickinson · Apr 21, 2026
📜 Read the Apr 21, 2026 Public Participation Transcript (Marsh Road portions)

Mary Dickinson

"Mary Dickinson, Marsh Road. Recently we were in here, and with the ground movement on our road from all of the dump trucks and everything — they have moved the ground, and the sidewalk is starting to go. I was going to block it off so people would not walk on it and end up getting their legs cut off when the cement goes down and they are in the hole."

"The cops were called, and they tried to intimidate me. And he threatened me with going to jail. I told them I will take that fence down — here, you guarantee me you are going to be responsible if people get hurt. Because this commission has done nothing to combat the problems that you created on our substandard road. And also, if you want to know, the easement is 5 feet. Somehow I know. I am a retired owner-broker of real estate, and in real estate you better know easements. The easement on Marsh Road is a state easement, 5 feet."

"Officer Lieutenant [name] came out like gangbusters, with another cop that was there. And he threatened me with jail. I'm threatened. My little dogs — they were going to take my little dogs away. I don't know where that came from. They figured at 75 years old they could intimidate me. I've been in many different businesses and worked for companies all over the world. I will not be intimidated by police officers …"

📄 Download the full Apr 21, 2026 transcript (TXT)

Documents & Filings

The Paper Trail Officials Already Have

Residents have not waited for someone to be killed before raising the alarm. The documents below have already been served on Volusia County Sheriff's Office, FDOT, FDACS, FPL, and the County Engineer's Office. They are linked here so the public — and any official who later claims they "didn't know" — can read them in full.

VCSO Supervisory Review — Filed May 12, 2026

📄

Formatted Supervisory Complaint — Marsh Road

Cover document requesting supervisory review of how speed studies and enforcement were handled on the Marsh Road corridor.

 📊

Attachment A — All Traffic Solutions Speed Sign Report (Feb–Mar 2026)

VCSO radar feedback sign data with raw vehicle-by-vehicle records and aggregate speed distributions.

 🧮

Attachment B — Speed Study Math & Interpretation Issues

Methodological critique of how the speed-study percentiles and averages were calculated and reported.

 🔊

Attachment C — May 11, 2026 Allen Tractor Noise Incident Evidence

Same-day documentation of the Allen Tractor Service Jake-brake and acceleration noise events captured on the videos above.

 📈

Attachment D — County Speed Study, Marsh Rd S. of Sandy Ln (Jul 2024)

Volusia County traffic engineering speed study south of Sandy Lane, July 2024.

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Attachment E — County Speed Study, Marsh Rd N. of Palm Ave (Jun 2025)

Volusia County traffic engineering speed study north of Palm Avenue, June 2025.

 📝

Attachment F — VCTE Memo, Marsh Rd N. of Carter (Oct 2024)

Volusia County Traffic Engineering memo addressing large-vehicle concerns north of Carter Road.

 ✉️

Attachment G — Lt. Brodie Hughes Email (Apr 15, 2026)

VCSO email stating the enforcement posture as "we don't enforce unless a driver is 10+ MPH over the speed limit" — a threshold that Florida state law does not impose. Posted speed limits are enforceable as posted; the 10‑MPH buffer is an internal practice, not a legal standard.

County Chair & County Engineer — Apr 16 – May 12, 2026 Email Thread

📧

Brower → Kasbeer → Rebuttal — Full 10-Page Thread

The complete email thread between County Chair Jeff Brower, County Engineer Tadd Kasbeer, P.E., and resident Justin Sandusky from April 16 through May 12, 2026 — including Brower's "I wouldn't want this on my rural road" admission, Kasbeer's May 5 policy response, and Sandusky's May 12 substantive engineering rebuttal citing Florida Greenbook Chapter 3 Section C.2. Two days after the rebuttal, a vehicle ran off the road at the curve named in it.

Agency Notices on File

🏛️

County Engineer — Storm Kazmierczak Correspondence

Direct correspondence to the County Engineer's Office documenting the Marsh Road corridor concerns.

 🚧

FDOT Contractor — 24-Hour Dump Truck Notice (Every ~15 Min)

Notice served on FDOT contractor regarding 24-hour, near-continuous dump truck cycling through the residential corridor.

 🚦

FDOT — US‑92 / Marsh Rd Signal Concern

Concern raised to FDOT regarding signal timing and conflict at the US‑92 / Marsh Road approach.

 🌲

FDACS — Logging Trucks Originating From State Contract

Notice to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regarding logging-truck traffic originating from an FDACS-administered contract.

Policy Context

📚

Volusia County Comprehensive Plan — Chapter 2: Transportation Element

The county's own Transportation Element — the standards by which the Marsh Road corridor is supposed to be evaluated.
The Engineering Rebuttal

What the County Says — and What's Wrong With It

In a May 5, 2026 email, Volusia County Engineer Tadd Kasbeer, P.E. explained the county's position on Marsh Road. The pattern across his response — and across replies from County Chair Jeff Brower and the Traffic Engineering staff — is the same one residents have heard for decades: we acknowledge the problem, but our policy says we don't act. The substantive engineering response from residents is below, claim by claim.

Residents have repeatedly asked for a roadway-geometry and design-vehicle compatibility study — including swept-path / off-tracking analysis for WB-62 tractor-trailers and fully loaded logging trucks against the actual lane width, shoulder width, and curve radii of Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road. The county's responses have leaned on policy posture and selective crash data, not on the engineering analysis residents are actually requesting.

County Position

"The county does not restrict truck traffic"

"The county does not restrict truck traffic on County thoroughfare roads except for weight or height restrictions due to bridges. The county has no cap on truck traffic by percentage or maximum number of trucks." — Tadd Kasbeer, P.E., Volusia County Engineer, email of May 5, 2026
Resident Response

"No cap" is a policy choice, not a legal constraint.

Florida statutes specifically authorize local governments to impose truck restrictions on appropriate roads (FS 316.008, 316.515, 337.406). Volusia County's own Code §72-287 already prohibits vehicles over 10,500 lbs gross weight in residential and agricultural zones except for active loading at a specific commercial destination.

The county is not legally barred from restricting truck cut-through. It has chosen not to use the authority it already has.

County Position

"We use curve radii, not swept-path analysis."

"In road design we use curve radii… a WB-62 tractor-trailer has a 45-foot turning radius at 10 mph, therefore if a curve is greater than 45 feet a semi can navigate the curve… The county does not do swept-path analysis on roads." — Tadd Kasbeer, P.E., May 5, 2026
Resident Response

"Can fit" at 10 mph is not the same as "stays in lane."

A WB-62's minimum turning radius describes whether the truck can physically negotiate a curve at crawl speed. It does not describe off-tracking — the lateral distance by which the trailer's path deviates from the tractor's path on a curve. On a constrained two-lane road with no shoulder, off-tracking is what puts the trailer over the center line and into the oncoming lane.

This is exactly what residents have documented on video — the loaded logging truck at Marsh Bend / Stetson forcing the oncoming motorist to stop in the wrong lane. The fact that the county "does not do swept-path analysis" is the problem residents are asking the county to fix.

📐 Open the Swept-Path Analysis Residents Did Anyway →

Live OpenStreetMap geometry of the Marsh Road curve, WB-62 driven through it with a bicycle-model integrator. Off-tracking and centerline encroachment shown in real time. The analysis the County said it does not do.

County Position

"10-year crash data: only 5 of 68 crashes involved trucks."

"10-year crash data: 68 crashes on Marsh Road, 5 involving trucks, 28 in curves not involving trucks… truck traffic does not appear to have created an unsafe condition based on crash data and curve data." — Tadd Kasbeer, P.E., May 5, 2026
Resident Response

The crash data itself undercounts the problem.

Volusia County's reported crash totals only include incidents that were reported, responded to, and entered into the system. Residents have documented run-off-road events at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve where neighbors physically pulled the vehicle out and no police response was made. Those events are not in the 68.

Twenty-eight curve crashes "not involving trucks" is also not a defense of the road's geometry — it is evidence the geometry is dangerous for everyone using it. And it ignores the daily near-misses residents document on video: by definition, near-misses leave no crash report.

County Position

VCSO enforcement only kicks in 10+ MPH over the limit.

"We don't enforce unless a driver is 10+ MPH over the speed limit." — VCSO position summarized in Lt. Brodie Hughes email, Apr 15, 2026
Resident Response

Florida law does not require — or permit — a 10-MPH buffer.

Posted speed limits are enforceable as posted under Florida statute. The 10-MPH buffer is an internal enforcement practice, not a legal standard. On a residential corridor where 50 MPH speeds are documented and 20-foot total road width offers no recovery space, the buffer effectively cedes the corridor to drivers who will travel 9 MPH over and beyond.

County Chair on the Record

"I wouldn't want this on my rural road."

"I appreciate the information and will check on these uses. I wouldn't want this on my rural road." — Jeff Brower, Volusia County Chair, email to Justin Sandusky, April 16, 2026

Earlier that same day Chair Brower reported personally driving Marsh Road from EISB to Daugherty Rd and observing a dump truck heading north "at what seemed to be a little fast" that was not pulled over by VCSO, asking residents directly: "Do you have any idea where this sudden increase in truck traffic is going?"

Resident Response

Personal sympathy isn't policy.

The Chair's personal recognition that this corridor is being used in a way no rural resident would accept is exactly the case for action — not a substitute for it. Empathy without an engineering study, without a truck restriction, without traffic calming, leaves the same trucks on the same curve tomorrow.

Three weeks after Chair Brower's "I wouldn't want this on my rural road" email, the County Engineer's office issued a response telling residents the County does not restrict truck traffic, does not do swept-path analysis, and does not see an unsafe condition in the crash data. Nine days after that, a vehicle ran off the road at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve.

⏱ The Timeline: Two Formal Rebuttals to Two Agencies — Crash That Night

From the day County Chair Brower personally observed the truck traffic to the night a vehicle ran off the road at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve was about four weeks. Every step of the engineering record exists in the documents linked below.

Apr 16, 2026 — County Chair Jeff Brower drives Marsh Road, observes a speeding dump truck, emails Justin Sandusky: "Do you have any idea where this sudden increase in truck traffic is going?" Reply same day with the Eddy V / Allen / Tiger Bay timber / FDOT-SR40 map of truck origins. Brower replies: "I wouldn't want this on my rural road."

Apr 30, 2026 — Sandusky's detailed follow-up to the County: the October 16, 2024 inter-office memo relies on truck percentage (5.0%–5.9%) without doing the design-vehicle, off-tracking, or lane-suitability analysis the Florida Greenbook requires. Asks six specific questions.

May 1, 2026 — Brower forwards to Benjamin Bartlett for help with the answers.

May 5, 2026 — County Engineer Tadd Kasbeer, P.E., responds: "the County does not restrict truck traffic on County thoroughfare roads," "the County does not do a swept path analysis on roads," and concludes "truck traffic does not appear to have created an unsafe condition based on the past crash data."

May 12, 2026 — Daytime (Filing 1 of 2) — Residents file a formatted supervisory review complaint with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office documenting the Marsh Road speed study, math/interpretation issues, the May 11 Allen Tractor noise incident, and Lt. Brodie Hughes's enforcement-posture email. [PDF]

May 12, 2026 — Daytime (Filing 2 of 2) — Sandusky's full engineering rebuttal to the County Engineer's office: cites Florida Greenbook Chapter 3 Section C.2 (design-vehicle threshold at 5%), measures Marsh Road at ~10-foot lanes and Old Daytona Road at ~9-foot lanes in places, documents the curve warning sign placement asymmetry (383 ft northbound vs. 916 ft southbound), and asks seven specific design-vehicle and curve-safety questions. [PDF]

May 12, 2026 — 11:10:01 PM (Same Day) — Hours after both filings were submitted, a vehicle runs off the road at the Old Daytona / Marsh curve named in both rebuttals. The moment is captured on a resident's south-facing Marsh Road security camera (timestamp 23:10:01–23:11:05).

▶ Marsh Road south camera · May 12, 2026 · 23:10:01 — 23:11:05.

May 12, 2026 — 11:14 PM — Old Daytona Road resident Timothy Meeske witnesses the crash and messages the resident: "Yo. Someone in the tree on Marsh." Neighbors arrive on scene. VCSO did not pass by or respond for over an hour. No police report was filed. Neighbors physically pulled the vehicle out. The neighbor-to-neighbor message is the only reason this crash entered any record at all.

That run-off-road incident will not appear in the next "10-year crash data" the County cites. The crash data the County Engineer used to dismiss the safety concerns on May 5 is the same crash data that does not include the May 12, 11:10 PM crash, because the response and reporting steps that put a crash into the data never happened. The data is undercounting the problem in real time — on the same calendar day residents filed two formal safety challenges.

📘 Why the Florida Greenbook Matters Here

In their replies to residents, county staff have leaned on internal policy and on the AASHTO Green Book — the national American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials standard. Florida, however, maintains its own state-level design manual — the "Manual of Uniform Minimum Standards for Design, Construction, and Maintenance for Streets and Highways," commonly called the Florida Greenbook — adopted under the authority of Section 336.045, Florida Statutes, and Rule 14-15.002, Florida Administrative Code. FDOT identifies the Florida Greenbook as the uniform minimum standards reference for county roads off the State Highway System — which is exactly what Marsh Road is.

"The Florida Greenbook, not the AASHTO Green Book alone, is the applicable uniform minimum standards reference for County roads off the State Highway System… AASHTO may be useful guidance, but the County's response should address the Florida Greenbook's actual design-vehicle provisions for a County road." — Justin Sandusky, rebuttal to County Engineer Tadd Kasbeer, May 12, 2026

Florida Greenbook, Chapter 3, Section C.2 — Design Vehicles — states that one or more design vehicles "should be used as controls in selecting geometric design elements." It further states that if a significant number or percentage — identified as 5 percent of total traffic — of vehicles larger than passenger cars are likely to use a street or highway, that class should be used as the design control. The Greenbook then identifies design criteria affected by vehicle type, including:

Alignment · Lane widening on curves · Shoulder width requirements · Turning roadway and intersection radii · Intersection sight distance. The Greenbook separately recognizes that traveled ways should be widened on sharp curves because trucks and transit vehicles may have rear wheels that track considerably inside the front wheels.

By the County's own October 16, 2024 memo, heavy-vehicle traffic on Marsh Road is documented at 5.0% – 5.9% — at or above the Greenbook's design-control threshold. That should have triggered a design-vehicle analysis. It did not.

The May 12, 2026 rebuttal asked the County to answer seven specific engineering questions — including what design vehicle is being used as the control for Marsh Road, whether off-tracking or lane-widening-on-curves analysis has been performed, and what the engineering basis is for the curve warning sign placement (measured at 383 feet northbound vs. 916 feet southbound in advance of the Old Daytona / Marsh curve — a roughly 2.4× discrepancy). Two days later, a vehicle ran off the road at that curve. Those seven questions are still open.

📄 Read the full Brower / Kasbeer / Rebuttal email thread (PDF, 10 pages)

The Bottom Line

The county's position, distilled, is: "We know it's a problem, we are looking into it — but we don't plan on doing anything about the dangerous traffic, because our policy says we don't have to." That posture is being applied to a road residents have been formally complaining about since 1964. Policy choices made decades ago can be revisited. Engineering analysis, design-vehicle review, and the use of authority the county already has under Florida law — those are what residents are asking for.

What Needs to Happen

Practical Solutions Exist

We are not asking for the impossible. We are asking for reasonable, evidence-based safety improvements that protect residents, cyclists, and drivers.

01

Swept-Path Analysis

Conduct a formal engineering study of how large trucks (WB-62 tractor-trailers) physically navigate these curves — proving what residents already see daily.

02

No Through Trucks

"No Through Trucks" signage and enforcement to prevent commercial bypass use while preserving legitimate local access.

03

Traffic Calming Measures

Speed tables, improved signage, and intersection controls to slow traffic and discourage cut-through routing.

04

Vehicle Classification Study

Count and categorize vehicles using these roads to establish the true volume and type of commercial traffic.

05

Weight & Width Restrictions

Where legally supportable, implement restrictions that keep oversized vehicles on roads designed to handle them.

06

Vulnerable User Protection

Enhanced safety measures for cyclists, pedestrians, and bridge users — especially at Little Haw Bridge and blind curves.

Take Action

Your Voice Matters

This problem continues because officials haven't felt enough pressure to act. Help change that.

💬

Submit a Public Comment

Add your name and voice to the public record. Your comment supports the community's demand for a safety review, truck restrictions, and traffic calming.

Add Comment
📸

Submit Evidence

Have photos, videos, or a story about a dangerous truck encounter? Submit your evidence to help document the pattern.

Submit Report
📧

Contact Officials

Let county officials and FDOT know that residents demand action. Use our template to send a message directly.

Send Email
Public Comment

Submit a Public Comment

We are calling on Volusia County and FDOT to take concrete action on road safety along the Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road corridor. Below is exactly what we are asking for.

What We're Asking Officials To Do

We are requesting that Volusia County, the Road & Bridge Division, and FDOT undertake the following safety actions for the Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road corridor:

1

Conduct a Swept-Path Analysis

Commission a formal engineering study analyzing how large commercial vehicles — including WB-62 tractor-trailers, logging trucks, and multi-axle dump trucks — physically navigate the curves on Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road. This study should determine whether these vehicles can maintain their lane on constrained curves, especially near the Stetson golf practice facility and Little Haw bridge.

2

Perform a Design-Vehicle Compatibility Review

Evaluate whether the road's width (approximately 20 feet on Marsh Road, 18 feet on Old Daytona), shoulder conditions, and curve geometry are compatible with the types of commercial vehicles currently using it as a through-route. If the road cannot safely accommodate these vehicles, restrictions should follow.

3

Complete a Turning Movement Study at Key Intersections

Analyze turning conflicts at critical points: the Old Daytona Road exit/turn onto US-92, the Marsh Road / Old Daytona Road intersection, and the approach to Little Haw bridge. Evaluate whether large trucks can safely complete these turns without blocking lanes, encroaching on opposing traffic, or creating sight-distance conflicts.

4

Conduct Vehicle Classification & Frequency Counts

Install vehicle classification counters on Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road to document the actual volume, type, and timing of commercial traffic using these roads. This data should cover both daytime and overnight periods (including 8 PM – 8 AM) to capture the full scope of the problem.

5

Implement "No Through Trucks" Restrictions

Install "No Through Trucks" signage on Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road. This measure preserves legitimate local delivery access while prohibiting the use of these roads as commercial bypass or cut-through routes. This is a standard, legally established traffic control used on similar roads nationwide.

6

Evaluate Weight and Width Restrictions

Where legally supportable under Florida statutes and county ordinances, implement weight or width restrictions that keep oversized vehicles on roads designed to handle them, and off narrow residential corridors. Residents recall past signage that may have included weight limits — these should be reviewed and restored if appropriate.

7

Install Traffic Calming Measures

Deploy speed tables, enhanced curve warning signage, improved lane delineation, and intersection control improvements. These measures should discourage cut-through traffic, reduce speeds, and improve safety for all road users — not just during peak hours, but 24/7.

8

Review Center-Line Encroachment at Constrained Curves and Bridges

Formally evaluate the specific locations where residents have documented trucks riding or crossing the center yellow line, and determine what engineering or enforcement actions are needed to prevent these violations. Priority locations include the Stetson curve, Little Haw bridge, and the Marsh/Old Daytona intersection.

9

Protect Vulnerable Road Users

Implement enhanced safety measures for cyclists, pedestrians, and bridge users along this corridor. Little Haw bridge in particular is used by cyclists, residents, and people fishing — having dump trucks cross the center line just feet away is unacceptable and dangerous.

10

Develop a Long-Term Route Management Plan

Create a proactive traffic management strategy that keeps heavy commercial and industrial through-traffic on appropriate arterial roads (US-92, SR-11) rather than allowing it to divert through residential corridors. This is especially critical given the potential for future FDOT signal changes at US-92 that could further incentivize Marsh Road as a bypass.

Add Your Comment

By submitting below, you are adding your voice to the public record in support of all 10 actions listed above.

All submissions are moderated and will not appear on the site immediately. Comments are reviewed and added during site updates.

Report an Incident

Submit Your Evidence

Every report strengthens the case. All submissions are reviewed before publication. Your contact information is kept private.

All submissions are moderated and will not appear on the site immediately. Evidence is reviewed and added during site updates.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Marsh Road is classified as a "collector" road by Volusia County. However, by any engineering standard, it is grossly substandard for that classification. A typical 2-lane collector should have consistent 11–12 ft travel lanes, 4–6 ft paved shoulders, adequate sight distance, and a design speed of 30–45 MPH. Marsh Road has none of these — it has no shoulders, no lane markings in many sections, sharp blind curves, and a narrow 20-foot bridge with two tight 10-ft lanes that leave zero recovery space. In fact, the state's own reports classify Marsh Road as a "Local Urban Road" and "Local Rural Road" in various segments — not a collector. This distinction matters: a Local Road is designed for low-volume residential access, not the heavy commercial through-traffic currently using it. The county's collector label does not reflect the road's actual physical condition. We are advocating for "No Through Trucks" restrictions, which allow local delivery access but prohibit bypass/cut-through use — a separate and commonly used measure.

Speed is only one factor. The core problem is that the road's geometry — its width, curve radius, lack of shoulders, and bridge constraints — is physically inadequate for the size of trucks using it. Even at slow speeds, a tractor-trailer's swept path may cross the center line on curves. This requires a roadway-geometry and design-vehicle review, not just a speed study.

A swept-path analysis is an engineering study that calculates the actual space a vehicle needs to navigate a turn or curve. For large trucks like WB-62 tractor-trailers, the rear wheels "track" differently than the front — meaning the trailer swings much wider. This analysis shows whether a truck can physically stay in its lane on a particular road section. Residents believe this study would prove what they already see daily.

County staff have acknowledged that the safety concerns are legitimate and warrant review. They confirmed the blocked-exit scenario at Old Daytona / US-92 as concerning. The county plans to review traffic speeds, vehicle types, and consider calming measures if warranted. Residents believe the review must also include turning-path and roadway-geometry analysis, not speed alone.

No — and they shouldn't try. Both Marsh Road and Old Daytona Road are stipulated by a prescriptive easement, not a dedicated right-of-way. Under the state's standard at the time these roads were established, the right-of-way extended only 5 feet from the edge of the road (or other portion of the property, such as power line easements behind homes) — reserved solely for runoff drainage and utility access. The county does not own a wide corridor the way it does on purpose-built roads. Any attempt to widen the road would require encroaching further onto residents' private property, which is not legally or ethically justified — especially when the real solution is to restrict the heavy commercial traffic that doesn't belong on these roads in the first place. The county should be enforcing appropriate use of the road, not expanding it to accommodate vehicles it was never designed to carry.

Use the "Submit Evidence" form on this site to document the incident. Include the date, time, location, and any photos or videos. You can also report dangerous driving to the Volusia County Sheriff's non-emergency line. Every documented incident strengthens the community's case for action.

No. This is about a broader pattern of commercial cut-through traffic on roads that are not suited for it. The issue involves multiple types of heavy vehicles from various sources. The focus is on safe routing, road design, and infrastructure — not targeting any individual company.

MarshRoadSafety.org — Advocating for Safety and Peace — DeLand Highlands, Marsh & Old Daytona Rd