Truck drives through seagrapes on Longboat Key

A man driving southbound on Gulf of Mexico Drive at approximately 9 a.m. this morning lost control of his truck in the middle of the Key, driving straight into the seagrapes on the west side of the road near Longboat Key Estates and the Twin Shores mobile home park.

The white Ford Ranger pickup truck drove into the seagrapes and then attempted to drive back out of them before the truck came to a stop tangled in the bushes with its bumper hanging on the ground. A tow truck was called to pull the truck out of the bushes and no injuries were reported.

The line of seagrapes that stretch along the west side of Gulf of Mexico Drive across from the two mobile home parks are not trimmed by the town during sea turtle nesting season to allow the bushes to help shade the beach from street lights that confuse the turtles when they lay their eggs. The bush now has two gaping holes in it.

Longboat Key Police Department officers reported the man lost control of the truck and no other vehicles were involved. The driver was cited for careless driving.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].