KEY LARGO, Florida Keys — Holiday motorists who speed a little bit through selected school zones on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway might get an onion from the Grinch instead of a traffic ticket.
Colonel Lou Caputo of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office donned the Grinch costume Thursday morning and worked with other deputies clocking speeds of cars passing Key Largo School, which serves Florida Keys students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade.
He said he portrays the fictional character created by children’s author Dr. Seuss to give motorists a “gift,” but also to emphasize the need for drivers to obey speed limits and stay off cell phones in school zones.
Caputo launched the Grinch speed enforcement detail more than two decades ago. Dressed as the green-faced character, he offers drivers going a few miles over the school zone speed limit the choice of a ticket or an onion.
“Most drivers — in fact, all drivers in 20 years — have always taken the onion,” Caputo said.
When a car is pulled over, uniformed deputies check the vehicle’s license plate and the driver’s license. If all is in order, they ask the motorist to wait in the car. That’s when the Grinch appears to chat with the often-startled driver, reinforce the reason for the traffic stop and make his offer.
Caputo developed the program after viewing Jim Carrey’s onion-loving character in the 2000 film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” He admitted that the option of receiving a ticket or an onion catches some drivers off guard.
“Tickets are expensive, but who would turn down an onion that you could use for deodorant? You can eat it, you can play with it — an onion is perfect!” he quipped.
Despite the holiday humor, the unusual speed enforcement project has a serious side.
“It’s for those who are not paying attention going just over the speed limit. We want to make them aware that we want them driving safely through the school zone in the holiday seasons, and at all times,” said Caputo.
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