Seminole County sheriff joins statewide Arrive Alive summer safety campaign

Florida law-enforcement leaders are warning drivers that summer travel is not a free pass from crashes, and Seminole County Sheriff Dennis M. Lemma is part of the push. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Florida Highway Patrol launched Arrive Alive as a two-month statewide campaign running from June 1 through July 31, with the message that families should enjoy the season and still get where they are going safely.

The campaign is tied to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations and, in state messaging, to the expected surge of visitors moving through Florida for summer travel and major events. FLHSMV calls Arrive Alive its first statewide data-driven traffic safety initiative, and the agency is using the slogan “One Safe Drive at a Time” to unify public-safety partners around the same message: stay alert, obey traffic laws, and do not drive recklessly or impaired.

For Seminole County, the story reaches beyond Tallahassee. Dennis M. Lemma, who has served as Seminole County sheriff since 2017, was elected president of the Florida Sheriffs Association for the 2025-2026 year. The association represents Florida’s 67 elected sheriffs, giving Lemma a statewide platform at the same time Seminole County motorists are heading into the busiest travel period of the year.

That matters on roads that carry drivers between Sanford, Orlando, the beaches and other holiday destinations, where traffic volume rises around fireworks, road trips, barbecues and other summer gatherings. State officials say law-enforcement partners will be visible and vigilant, a signal that enforcement is meant to be part of the campaign, not just public messaging.

The enforcement push is backed by grim statewide crash data. Florida recorded 702,162 total traffic crashes in 2024, including 381,210 codable traffic crashes and 97,902 hit-and-run crashes. Those wrecks killed 3,184 people in vehicle crashes. FLHSMV also reports that Friday at 4 p.m. is the most frequent crash time in the state, and that 55% of fatal crashes happened during daytime hours.

Impairment remains a central concern. Florida logged 4,814 alcohol-confirmed crashes with 271 confirmed fatalities in 2024, along with 450 drug-confirmed crashes and 316 confirmed fatalities. Against those numbers, state leaders are treating summer travel as a period when one bad decision can turn a routine drive into a tragedy, especially as Seminole County residents share the same road network that feeds into the region’s biggest attractions and holiday routes.

Lemma’s role gives the campaign a local face in Seminole County and a statewide one through the sheriffs association. For drivers, the message is straightforward: the summer calendar may be packed with celebrations, but Florida roads will still be watched closely, and the consequences for unsafe driving remain severe.