Florida Senate - 2023                            (NP)    SR 1744
       
       
        
       By Senator Perry
       
       
       
       
       
       9-04302-23                                            20231744__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution remembering the loving and energetic life
    3         of Dylan Roberts; celebrating the tireless advocacy of
    4         his mother, Megan Durant, for the construction of
    5         crosswalks and other safety measures on busy
    6         neighborhood roadways; and expressing appreciation for
    7         the collaborative work of the Gainesville City
    8         Commission and the Florida Department of
    9         Transportation to improve pedestrian safety.
   10  
   11         WHEREAS, Dylan Roberts was born on December 30, 2016, the
   12  youngest of five siblings, and his mother, Megan Durant,
   13  remembers him as a high-spirited, loving, energetic, and caring
   14  little boy who loved to dance and play with his friends and who
   15  enjoyed watching the Power Rangers, Sonic the Hedgehog, and the
   16  Ninja Turtles, and
   17         WHEREAS, Dylan’s dream was to go to kindergarten, and every
   18  day he talked with his mom about how exciting it would be when
   19  he was big enough to start school, and
   20         WHEREAS, on October 27, 2021, an otherwise ordinary day, 4
   21  year-old Dylan went to Fred Cone Park, just across the street
   22  from his home in Gainesville, with his brothers and sisters to
   23  play in one of their favorite outdoor play spaces, and
   24         WHEREAS, when it was time to return home, the group of
   25  children stepped into the roadway and a car traveling on East
   26  University Avenue struck and killed Dylan, and
   27         WHEREAS, in the months since Dylan’s tragic death, Megan
   28  Durant has become a fierce advocate for crosswalks and other
   29  safety measures, writing in a recent email sent to the City of
   30  Gainesville, “We all know it takes a village. I want to make
   31  sure this never happens to another child and that no other
   32  mother ever has to feel the pain I do,” and
   33         WHEREAS, after months of persistent contact with city and
   34  state officials, Megan Durant will soon realize her goal of
   35  seeing a pedestrian-activated signal across East University
   36  Avenue between Northeast 26th Terrace and Southeast 26th
   37  Terrace, the section of road where Dylan was killed, and
   38         WHEREAS, work on the signal and crosswalk is expected to be
   39  finished by the end of July and, fittingly, it will be named in
   40  memory of Dylan Roberts, NOW, THEREFORE,
   41  
   42  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   43  
   44         That the Florida Senate remembers the loving and energetic
   45  life of Dylan Roberts and celebrates the tireless advocacy of
   46  his mother, Megan Durant, for ensuring the safety of children
   47  who simply want to spend a day at the park.
   48         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Senate is
   49  appreciative of the collaborative work of the Gainesville City
   50  Commission and the Florida Department of Transportation to
   51  install a pedestrian-activated signal in the section of East
   52  University Avenue where Dylan was killed.
   53         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
   54  the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to Megan Durant as
   55  a tangible token of the sentiments of the Florida Senate.