PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A 12-year-old from Wesley Chapel has spearheaded a construction proposal totaling $1.75 million and aims to keep students safe heading to school.

Weightman Middle School student Josh Patrick says he noticed safety issues along Curley Road as students walked and biked to school along a busy 2-mile stretch of Curley Road near Wells Road.

“We are going along Curley Road and I see a bunch of students walking in drainage ditches and grass,” Patrick said. “And trying to ride their bike on the side of the road, almost getting hit.”

But now the lack of sidewalks within a 2-mile boundary of three Wesley Chapel schools has gotten the attention of Pasco County commissioners. Patrick appeared before lawmakers with a PowerPoint presentation and his own personal account about what he has seen while going to school.

Weightman Middle School student Josh Patrick says he noticed safety issues along Curley Road as students walked and biked to school along a busy 2-mile stretch of Curley Road near Wells Road. (Spectrum News)

“There’s a lot of distracted drivers on that road and there are a lot of students,” he told commissioners.

But building a sidewalk isn’t a cheap proposition.

Pasco County doesn’t have funding for the project, but State Sen. Danny Burgess has proposed a $1.5 million grant, and coupled with $250,000 from Pasco County, the sidewalk could get a funding green light during the current legislative session. 

Patrick is hoping the sidewalk can be built before 2027.

If you would like to vote where the sidewalks should be extended, scan the QR code below.