JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville neighborhood is upset about a locked pedestrian gate and have started a petition to open it.
The gate belongs to Naval Station Mayport and people in the Oak Harbor neighborhood say they feel trapped by it. According to neighbors, they have to go out of their way to get to local parks and schools on the other side.
This isn't the first time the Ask Anthony team has heard about this problem. This is an issue that all started with a 12-year-old girl.
"We've tried everything and we decided to do something new," Makaila Morrill said.
More than a year ago, Anthony Austin walked down Montreal Street with Makaila after she emailed him. At the time, Makaila was a sixth grader at Mayport Middle School in Atlantic Beach. But, she was having a problem getting there.
"The gate is locked," Makaila responded.
The gate Mikaila is talking about is on Montreal Street. It belongs to Naval Station Mayport and it's there for security purposes. Mikaila wanted to walk or ride her bike through the Oak Harbor neighborhood to get to school and visit her grandmother who lives on the other side.
At the time, a Mayport spokesperson said they were evaluating the possibility of opening the pedestrian gate before and after school. But, more than one year later, nothing has changed.
"Right now, for us to get to those areas we do have to go down A1A to Mayport Road," Valerie Martinez said.
That's why neighbors, like Valerie Martinez, who have lived here for 20 years are taking matters into their own hands.
"When I first moved here, this gate was open and I had the accessibility to go to Donner Park and the beaches area. All of a sudden they chained it down on us and we couldn't go," Martinez explained.
Martinez said her neighbors don't feel safe walking A1A to Mayport Road because of traffic and sidewalk issues. The neighbors only want the pedestrian gate unlocked.
"We've had elderly couples that would love to just be able to walk to Walgreens to pick up their prescriptions instead of having to drive out there," Martinez added.
More than 100 people in the Oak Harbor neighborhood have signed a petition to get the attention of city leaders and military officials, including Makaila's grandmother Betsy Stoutmorrill. But, Mayport officials continue to say, it's locked for safety issues.
"The gate is not keeping out persons that shouldn't be here. It's only keeping in us who want to go through," Stoutmorrill said.
Anthony Austin reached out to Naval Station Mayport, again, about this issue. He received this statement that reads:
“Oak Harbor’s petition cites safety discrepancies along State Road A1A as the main catalyst for requesting Naval Station Mayport open its gate. We encourage Oak Harbor residents to continue working with the City of Jacksonville and Florida Department of Transportation to address their concerns.”
The Ask Anthony team is going to continue working on this issue, including contacting city leaders to see if anything can be done.