PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — We are looking into a potentially dangerous traffic situation in southern Palm Beach County. A concerned resident told us about the problem during a "Let's Hear It Event" this week that was focused on traffic.
WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman heard Barbara Diaz's concerns and started digging into the issue.
She told us that months after illegal U-turn signs were installed outside a Costco located along Congress Avenue near Boca Raton, there are still clashes between the drivers and the residents of the Boca Golf and Tennis Country Club. They're calling it a very dangerous situation.
Diaz was so passionate about the problem that she drove 35 miles to WPTV's "Let's Hear" event held in Palm Beach Gardens.
WATCH: Barbara Diaz outlines illegal U-turns occurring near Boca Raton
"I drove all the way to Palm Beach Gardens," Diaz said, 'to make a statement that this is something that I have been saying I'm going to do. I'm going to call Channel 5 because you guys actually do care. … It's going to be a big mess very soon.”
The city of Boca Raton told Hoffman that the Congress Avenue Costco is expanding and part of that expansion comes with installing these no U-turn signs. However, drivers are not adhering to those signs.
"If you've been in Boca for more than a week, it shouldn't be a surprise," Costco shopper Bill Kohane said.
One sign that was posted turned into two, which turned into three with a huge flashing "No U-turn" sign. However, that hasn't remedied the problem.
When the signs were installed Diaz said drivers leaving the gated community assumed that people would follow the law but were surprised — and in many cases were almost hit — when people turned anyway.
It's even throwing tourists from other countries for a loop.
"Yesterday, yeah, I was going that way," Canadian tourist Jai Narsingh said. "I saw somebody make a U-turn, which it says, clearly, no U-turn allowed. I saw the person right in front of me make a U-turn. I said, 'Wow, what is he doing?' That's not right, that's wrong. He should be charged for that."
Months ago, Boca Golf and Tennis became a public course, adding more congestion to an already heavily trafficked intersection.
But, who's in charge of traffic enforcement in this area?
The street itself is unincorporated county land, which means ticketing and enforcement is the job of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, but the traffic signals and the signs are Boca Raton's responsibility.
Diaz said she wants cameras or more law enforcement presence to ensure a safer community.
"I love my neighborhood," Diaz said. "You know, it's just a matter of going a little bit further north, maybe less than an eighth of a mile, to take a nice, free, open and safer U-turn."
