St. Pete business owners calling for pedestrian safety features following latest deadly crash

Pedestrian killed on Central Avenue in St. Pete

Another pedestrian death occurred on St. Pete's Central Avenue. The area has recently exploded in growth. Business owners say there needs to be more done to protect pedestrians.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - With new shops, restaurants, and apartment buildings that didn’t exist a few years ago, St. Pete’s Central Avenue in the Grand Central District is slammed all and every weekend.  

"The amount of pedestrian traffic has quadrupled if not quintupled here," said Lee Manuel, who owns the bar, Cocktail St. Pete.

Saturday night saw another tragedy for the neighborhood: Around 1 a.m., St. Pete police say a white SUV traveling west hit Meghan Prettyman, a 34-year-old woman from Gainesville.

It happened on Central Avenue and 16th Street.  

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She was taken to the hospital where she didn’t survive.

The driver of the vehicle stopped, did not appear intoxicated, and is fully cooperating with officers, according to the police department. It’s unclear what is to blame for this accident, though business owners are yet again begging the city to do something to calm the vehicle traffic in this region.  

"We have a lot of issues with speeding cars, just like last year when two were killed outside of Trophy Fish, the city has done little for us in regards to that," Manuel said.  

St. Pete has installed more pedestrian walkways and rounded out intersections, but the community here says there aren’t nearly enough. For instance, they are calling for brighter lights.

"We see it every day. It’s dark the street lighting is not well here," Manuel said.  

Last year, an elderly couple was killed after they were hit by a truck while crossing Central Avenue at 20th street. It happened in front of packed restaurants and bars.  

City leaders could not be immediately reached Sunday for comment.