Sophia Nelson's parents testify in Tallahassee against flashing-yellow crosswalk beacons

Mark Nelson cradled his dying daughter, Sophia, in his arms after she was struck by a vehicle and suffered a catastrophic brain injury Dec. 22 at a State Road A1A flashing-yellow beacon crosswalk in Satellite Beach.

The 12-year-old Surfside Elementary sixth grader never regained consciousness. Instead, on Christmas, she was taken off life support and donated organs to four recipients.

But her parents, Mark and Jill Nelson, hope their daughter's spirit lives on in a proposed law targeting pedestrian-activated, yellow-flashing crosswalk beacons across the Sunshine State.

"We rushed her to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in hopes of a Christmas miracle," Mark Nelson testified before a Florida House committee Thursday morning in Tallahassee, fighting back tears and holding Jill's hand. 

"But in the end, the miracle wasn’t for Sophia to come back and make our family whole. The miracle was for four other families that Sophia was able to save," Mark Nelson said.

"And by doing this and passing this bill, our hope is that Sophia will continue to save even more lives by making the changes necessary — and stopping the confusion caused by these lights," he said.

More:'Turn flashing-yellow crosswalks red' bill filed by Florida Rep. Randy Fine

More:A1A speed limit drop from 45 to 35 mph proposed for Satellite Beach, nearby towns

The newly renamed Sophia Nelson Pedestrian Safety Act cleared the State Affairs Committee. Florida Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, filed the bill last month in response to the tragedy, which occurred in the SR A1A crosswalk at Ellwood Avenue. 

If passed, the amended House Bill 1371 would apply to mid-block crosswalks with yellow-flashing beacons on multi-lane roads and on two-lane roads with speed limits exceeding 35 mph.

The bill would direct the Florida Department of Transportation to submit a request to the federal government by Oct. 1, asking for authorization to replace yellow rectangular rapid flashers with red versions.

If permission was granted, red light equipment — such as the HAWK beacon system — would have to be installed within a year. If permission was denied, the bill would mandate removal of flashing-yellow devices within four years.

“What they choose to do will be up to them," Fine said of counties and cities. "They could just take the flashing yellow thing off, I guess. They could remove the whole thing. They could remove the crosswalk. They could put in a traditional red light.

"We’re not telling them what to do. We’re simply saying, ‘You can’t use this piece of equipment that creates a false sense of security that’s literally killing Floridians,’ " Fine said.

Fine's bill was an identical companion to Senate Bill 1000, filed by Florida Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville. Perry's bill secured approval Tuesday from the Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development. 

FDOT has nearly finished installing 16 mid-block crosswalks with pedestrian-activated yellow flashers along SR A1A between Satellite Beach and Indialantic. Last week, FDOT announced plans to reduce the speed limit from 45 to 35 mph along this 6.2-mile stretch, and crews will install improved signage.

The Nelsons displayed Sophia's framed portrait while speaking at the House committee podium. Mark Nelson told legislators that his daughter pushed the button at the crosswalk — which she had used dozens of times — and the yellow lights activated. She let cars pass, then started to cross during a gap in traffic.

"She put trust in that button when she pushed it. And she put trust in the yellow lights, that traffic would stop. And she put trust in that driver, that she had given the driver plenty of room to slow down and stop," Mark Nelson said.

After the fatal crash, he said Jill saw a group of sixth-grade girls walking across the road with their bikes — and they almost got hit by a vehicle. He said that incident prompted them to get more involved.

The Nelsons wore blue ribbons on their lapels over their hearts: Blue was Sophia's favorite color. The Satellite Beach and Surfside Elementary communities wrapped hundreds of blue memorial ribbons around crosswalk poles, tree trunks, signs and mailboxes along SR A1A, serving as a crosswalk safety reminder for motorists and pedestrians.

"The blue ribbons, the meaning is going to fade over time. And that false sense of security will return, the false idea that people are going to stop for yellow lights," Mark Nelson testified Thursday.

"We'd like to work to make something a little more permanent in Sophia’s memory," he said.

After the meeting, the Nelsons, Fine, Perry and other legislators shared stories during a press conference at the fourth-floor rotunda of the State Capitol. 

Jill Nelson told the media: “This is our child’s legacy.”

“We would not like to have any other family go through the tragedy that our family has gone through. And we are very excited about the momentum some of these bills have got, the traction that they’ve gained," she said.

Jill Nelson said Satellite Beach police are still investigating her daughter's fatal crash. She said she has not met the driver, but she forgives her.

Perry's bill was triggered by a 2013 crosswalk crash where two students were severely injured on Southwest 62nd Boulevard in Gainesville. 

"I think most of us realize we have a broken system. I mean, as drivers and pedestrians we have this hodgepodge of crossings that we're not sure (about)," Perry said.

"I've been driving for a long time, and a yellow flashing light means to slow down — it doesn’t mean to stop," he said.

Florida Rep. Mark Caruso, R-Delray Beach, cited safety needs of Florida's nearly 150 million annual tourists and visitors: "Red lights mean stop all over the world."

Florida Rep. Thad Altman, R-Indialantic, commutes through the SR A1A flashing-yellow crosswalks on a daily basis. If you are a pedestrian trying to walk across the beachside highway, he said "you feel like you're playing pinball."

"They just don’t work. It really is difficult to use them. And it makes you feel that maybe they’re more dangerous than not having them," Altman said.

"I don’t think I’ve met a single person that’s been on A1A and made the crossing that disagreed with that," he said.

Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1. To subscribe: https://cm.floridatoday.com/specialoffer/