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Florida community still plagued by late-night street racing, resident says

By Connor Hansen
Updated  January 25, 2023 5:49am EST
News
FOX 35 Orlando

Florida community still plagued by late-night street racing

A street racing nightmare is continuing for some in a Florida community. Windermere residents say cars race through traffic circles on a regular basis, screeching their tires and revving their engines.

LAKE MARY, Fla. - A street racing nightmare is continuing for some in a Florida community. 

Residents in Windermere said cars race through traffic circles on a regular basis, screeching their tires and revving their engines. However, things have gotten much worse, according to one neighbor.

Kat Thomas said it's been a problem since she moved in two years ago.

"I thought about moving, but I really like it here, and I shouldn’t leave my home because of illegal activity that the police are aware of and just refuse to do anything about," Thomas said. "That’s not fair."

Last August, Thomas first shared her videos with FOX 35 News showing cars screeching past her home. After that, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said they had received complaints and were working to stop it.

After hearing the cars around 2 a.m. Saturday, Thomas said she stumbled upon a party with dozens of teenagers there.

"There were at least 20 cars all piled in here, all doors open blasting music," Thomas said. "At least 50 kids, if not more. They’re going in and out. They’re revving their engine as they go down the street, they’re doing the donuts. They were literally hanging out of their cars."

After reporting the activity again, Thomas is starting to feel like she's running out of options.

"It’s really frustrating for us people that pay a lot of money in rent and live in a nice complex and want to feel safe and want to have it quiet and want to have a good night's sleep, and we can’t," Thomas said.

FOX 35 News reached out to the sheriff's office about the issue on Tuesday evening but did not hear back before this story was published.

Back in August, deputies said that these crimes can be tough to stop since drivers are often mobile. They ask anyone who sees it happening to report it.