Florida Aims to Take Down Street Takeovers, Illegal Racing With New Penalties

Illegal racing, stunt driving, and street takeovers have become so common in South Florida that the shock factor has diminished even as gearheads invade busy intersections to set fire to the street and do doughnuts around the flames. 

One street takeover early this year shut down a road section around Biscayne Boulevard in the heart of downtown Miami. The following month, several teens were arrested for taking part in a stunt-driving gathering in west Miami that featured fireworks and a guy hanging out the window of a car while it whipped around in circles at Northwest 20th Street.

This week, near Tampa, an "illegal street racing event that resembled a military offensive" was shut down by police around 1 a.m. on May 5, according to a Miami Herald report.

The list goes on.

Lest anyone resign themselves to waiting in traffic for amateur stunt drivers to parlay their near-death experiences into TikTok content, Florida will soon harden penalties for street takeovers, unlicensed racing, and stunt driving in the Sunshine State. On May 7, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill, SB 1764, to tighten the regulations with a July 1 implementation date.

The law cranks up maximum fines for first-time offenses from $1,000 to $2,000. For a second offense within a year of the first, the statute establishes a third-degree felony charge and a fine between $2,500 and $4,000. (The old version of the law had a misdemeanor in place for a second offense within five years of the first.)

Perhaps the most dramatic change comes in a new section of the law that creates a third-degree felony charge and a $2,500 to $4,000 fine for first-time violators if they drive in a "coordinated street takeover," defined as one that involves ten or more vehicles operating in an "organized manner."

The law also provides for a $400 fine against spectators of street takeovers and prohibited races. Additional penalties are outlined for those who, in the process of participating in a street takeover, obstruct emergency vehicles responding to other calls.

"They are creating an incredibly dangerous environment, the worst of which is when they take over an entire intersection," Hollywood-based Florida Sen. Jason Pizzo, who co-introduced the bill, said in March. "Ambulances, fire, and police cannot get to the center of the intersection."

The Florida legislature passed SB 1764 on March 6. The bill expanded on a Chapter 316 statute enacted in 2022 to curb illegal racing and stunt driving.

Many street takeovers are organized and promoted on social media. Typically, a swarm of cars will descend on an intersection and block traffic, allowing a crowd to congregate as stunt drivers swirl around in the center. Fireworks and fires set using flammable liquid on the roadway are often used to add visual flair while onlookers record the scene for social media content.

WSVN reported that police have been cracking down in recent years with limited success. Whereas the state recorded roughly 850 street racing and stunt driving citations in 2019, officers issued more than 2,400 of those citations in 2023, the outlet reported.

If the new, stricter penalties serve as a deterrent to street takeovers, South Florida may be the first to notice. Broward and Miami-Dade counties accounted for nearly half of the more than 6,600 citations issued for street racing, stunt driving, and related citations between 2018 and 2022, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). Perhaps unsurprisingly, the primary demographic for drivers and spectators for street takeovers ranged from ages 16 to 29, DHSMV data showed.

The Broward Sheriff's Office says that when its deputies tried to shut down a street takeover in the Pompano Beach area last month, 22-year-old driver Kenroy Jackson fled the scene and fatally struck bicyclist Eric Gray while trying to escape. Jackson is facing charges of fleeing, aggravated battery on law enforcement, and reckless driving causing death, among other charges.