Contrary to popular belief, “jaywalking” is not a legal term. There are no statutes against jaywalking in Florida. Many actions can be referred to as jaywalking; some of them being illegal. Crossing the street against a red light is illegal and may result in a ticket. However, crossing mid-block or outside a crosswalk is not necessarily illegal. Inside a crosswalk, drivers must cede right-of-way to pedestrians. There are only laws preventing a pedestrian from crossing outside a crosswalk in Florida if they are crossing between two intersections that each have traffic lights. Otherwise, a pedestrian may cross anywhere so long as they yield to auto traffic.
Florida Today reports on a pedestrian who was struck and killed by a vehicle on A1A in Melbourne.
Stephanie Delli had parked at Walmart on the beachside and was headed across the street to watch her family perform at Lou’s Blues Bar and Restaurant. As she stepped on a darkened stretch of State Road A1A about half a block from a crosswalk, she was struck by a car. She was later pronounced dead at Holmes Regional Medical Center.
Delli’s death came as community planners, civil engineers, and police officers struggle to make roadways like SR A1A safe for pedestrians. Many do not use crosswalks to cross the busy coastal highway. Currently, municipalities plan to install a dozen crosswalk beacons, which will warn drivers as they enter pedestrian-heavy traffic areas.
A recent Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles study noticed that pedestrian versus vehicle accidents have increased by nearly 30% across Brevard County over the past five years. ‘
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