East Lake Adds More 'Deer Crossing' Signs to Local Roads

East Lake motorists will see new "Deer Crossing" signs warning them to watch out for the animals that make the area home, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

According to a recent Times story, two more of the yellow warning signs were placed near the entrance to East Lake High School on East Lake Road on Monday. The local Audubon Society and county officials began placing the signs on local roads last year in an effort to reduce the danger to drivers and to the animals, especially during their October-to-January mating season, when they become less cautious.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, a Palm Harbor resident, and Audubon Society members told the Times the signs have already made a difference, heightening awareness among drivers and reducing the number of deer that get struck.

The abundance of deer from nearby John Chestnut Park and Brooker Creek Preserve have also left residents and officials trying to protect their properties from the animals' appetites. The East Lake Library and some area homeowners have considered adding deer-resistant landscaping.

Are deer a problem where you live and on the roads you travel? Will warning signs help? Let us know in the comments section below.

Related Coverage:

• Library Considering Deer-Resistant Landscaping
• Deer Eating Your Landscape? Here's Advice to Stop Them
• Orphaned Baby Deer Makes Friends With Squirrel