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Article Courtesy of
The Palm Beach Post
By Mike Diamond
Published December 29, 2025
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WEST PALM BEACH — The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has
removed a flashing yellow arrow at Okeechobee Boulevard and Baywinds Drive
following complaints and a serious crash.
It was installed in May to improve traffic flow along Okeechobee Boulevard,
but the Baywinds Homeowners Association found that the change resulted in a
surge of accidents involving motorists trying to make a left-hand turn into
the 55-plus community of more than 1,000 homes just to the north of
Okeechobee Blvd. and west of Florida's Turnpike.
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There was a serious accident on Nov. 8
that sent two drivers to the hospital and resulted in both
cars being totaled. Video of the collision showed a car
turning under the flashing yellow arrow and striking an
oncoming vehicle at high speed.
The HOA, following a Dec. 1 meeting with County Commissioner
Gregg Weiss, passed a resolution calling for the removal of
the flashing yellow light that allowed for eastbound left
turns into Baywinds. The HOA said there was "a direct
correlation between the accidents and revised traffic signal
configuration." Previously, the left-hand turn could only be
made when left-turn green signal was on.
Too many motorists tried to turn left when it was not safe
FDOT installed the flashing yellow light as part of a
statewide effort to modernize signals and reduce congestion.
Too many motorists, though, failed to yield to oncoming
traffic at the Baywinds intersection. At the December HOA
meeting, dozens of residents told Weiss how unsafe it was to
allow motorists to make the left turn into the community on
a blinking yellow light.
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Left turn signal into the Baywinds gated
community from eastbound Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach on
December 12, 2025.
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Residents claimed the
the serious accident probably would never have occurred had original
configuration not been changed. There has been at least one other accident and
numerous near misses, they said. Following the December meeting, the HOA passed
a resolution requesting that FDOT remove the yellow blinking arrow.
"We are very pleased and surprised at how quickly they made
the change back to what it had been," said Matt Ball, community manager of
Baywinds. "This really was a safety issue."
Residents argued the flashing yellow encouraged risky decisions, especially
given:
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High traffic speeds on Okeechobee Boulevard.
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Limited visibility when large vehicles block the view.
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Older drivers in the community who need more reaction
time.
“People think they have time to turn, but they don’t,” one resident said.
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