July 31, 2025
Lady Lake Police issue 150 citations during Operation Southern Slow Down
By Kyle Coppola
Lady Lake Police issue 150 citations during Operation Southern Slow Down
The Lady Lake Police Department issued 91 warnings and 150 citations during a weeklong traffic enforcement campaign aimed at reducing speed-related crashes.
From July 14–20, officers dedicated approximately 80 hours to traffic enforcement as part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s annual Operation Southern Slow Down. The campaign is a multi-state initiative involving law enforcement agencies across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
During the enforcement, Lady Lake police issued 39 citations and 91 written warnings for speeding, 13 citations for aggressive driving, and seven citations for seatbelt violations. No DUI arrests were reported during the campaign.
The goal of Operation Southern Slow Down is to curb dangerous driving behaviors that continue to be a leading factor in traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities across the state. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, speeding and aggressive driving contributed to 437 traffic deaths in Florida in 2023.
“This campaign gives us an opportunity to remind drivers that speeding and aggressive driving put everyone at risk,” says Lady Lake Police Chief Steve Hunt. “Enforcement is just one piece—awareness and personal responsibility are just as important.”
The Lady Lake Police Department encourages all motorists to drive within posted speed limits, wear seatbelts, and avoid aggressive behaviors behind the wheel.
For more information on Operation Southern Slow Down, visit www.flhsmv.gov.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
