Sergeant Jacob Higginbotham, supervisor for the newly created Putnam County Sheriff’s Office traffic unit, told the Road Safety Task Force on July 24 that the part‑time unit of eight people has increased enforcement countywide and participated in two traffic operations and a statewide campaign. The operations produced hundreds of stops, dozens of citations and warnings, and several arrests for DUI and related offenses.

Higginbotham said the traffic unit, created this year, is composed of seven deputies and one supervisor and has run targeted operations including July 3 and July 18. “Operation Southern Slowdown, which was July 14 through July 19, resulted in 242 traffic stops from the agency, resulted in 155 warnings and 87 citations,” he said. He also reported that a July 18 traffic unit operation produced 117 traffic stops and 69 warnings and noted a hit‑and‑run investigation that led to an arrest.

The unit’s work is part of a broader agency total since January 1 that Higginbotham said included 7,849 traffic stops, 858 vehicle crashes and 51 DUIs. He described the unit’s enforcement approach as progressive: documenting verbal and written warnings so repeated behavior can be identified and escalated to citations when necessary.

Task Force members asked about the balance between warnings and citations on high‑crash corridors such as State Road 100. Task Force member Terry, who said she had been injured in a crash on that road, asked, “Why are we not writing more citations?” Higginbotham replied that many drivers appeared remorseful or unaware of the posted limit and that warnings appear to change behavior in many stops; for repeat violators, he said, citations are issued.

Higginbotham described other enforcement details: deputies investigate distracted driving, enforce Florida’s Move Over law when officers are stopped on the roadside, and document campaign names on citations (for example, “Operation Southern Slowdown”) so judges and magistrates reviewing court copies can see the enforcement context. The unit is also coordinating with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) on a planned joint operation in August.

Under Sheriff Blunt (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office) and other task force members praised the unit’s early results and urged continued operations. The sheriff’s office said it aims to make the unit full time in the future, certify members as breath test operators and expand capabilities as staffing and budgets allow.

No formal county action or vote was taken to authorize the unit during the meeting; the traffic unit was described as an internal sheriff’s office initiative created earlier this year. Task Force members and law enforcement discussed continuing operations, data tracking and collaboration with courts and FHP to sustain enforcement gains.

The task force asked the sheriff’s office to continue compiling enforcement metrics, including reductions in high‑injury crashes and other outcomes, so the group can assess whether the unit meets its goals for reducing fatalities and serious injuries.

Higginbotham closed by inviting questions from the committee and said the unit would continue its campaign and data collection.