Sunshine Matters

US 231 Go Orange Lobby Display

The Florida Welcome Centers are not only sharing information on Florida attractions and events this week, but are also helping visitors become more aware of safety on the roads.  Currently, the I-10, I-75, I-95 and US-231 Florida Welcome Centers (managed by VISIT FLORIDA) are in the midst of participating in the “Go Orange” campaign which began April 4 and will conclude today.  Also referred to as “Work Zone Safety Awareness Week,” Florida Department of Transportation officials and Florida Welcome Center staff use this event each year to remind motorists to drive carefully in construction zones. 

I-95 Go Orange Crash Simulator

Efforts by FDOT during the week include public service announcements, informational displays, and message boards at rest areas and welcome centers to educate motorists about work zone safety.  Eight other states in the Southeast have joined together to give a united voice to this important safety message.  Together, they reinforce this important topic to visitors stopping at other welcome centers along their route to the Sunshine State.

VISIT FLORIDA’s Welcome Center staff have worked meticulously to demonstrate their “Go Orange” spirit – from ample displays visible the moment visitors park outside and are greeted with orange cones and construction markers, to the entrance lobbies decorated with construction and traffic signs.  Many of the staff are dressed in orange vests and hardhats, while Larry the Crash Test Dummy greets visitors with an abundant supply of traffic safety literature.  The I-10 Florida Welcome Center’s theme for the week is “Safety, it’s in Your Hands” and I-75’s is “Drive to Survive in the Cone Zone.”  Although each Florida Welcome Center has created its own theme, they are all rallying together to support the overall message to remind motorists to drive carefully in construction zones and slow down to save lives.