Less than two weeks after a 24-year-old motorcyclist was killed at a Hollywood intersection, his grieving family is pushing city leaders to swap out the stop signs for a full traffic light. They say too many drivers simply roll through the crossing and believe a signal could keep another family from living their nightmare.
According to CBS News Miami, the rider was identified as Colt William Firth, 24. Family members say he was struck when a vehicle they believe failed to stop at a Garfield Street stop sign as he headed north on N. 21st Avenue. Hollywood Police have classified the crash as a non-criminal traffic incident and say the investigation is still open pending the medical examiner's report. Firth's mother, Michele Firth, told CBS, "I miss him so much, I don't know what I'm going to do without him," while his sister Erica Marra said the family hopes their efforts will lead to "anything to help save another person's life."
Family launches petition
To turn their grief into action, the family launched an online petition asking the City of Hollywood, the Broward County Commission and the Florida Department of Transportation to conduct a safety evaluation and, if the data backs it up, install a traffic signal at the intersection. The petition, created June 28 by Erica Marra, had 186 verified signatures as of July 8, 2026, according to Change.org. It lists local elected officials as the decision-makers the family is determined to get in front of.
How signal requests work
Getting a new signal is not as simple as neighbors asking nicely, even after a deadly crash. It typically starts with an engineering study that looks at traffic volumes, crash history, pedestrian activity and sight lines to see whether a location meets so-called signal warrants. The federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices requires these studies and specifically notes that meeting a warrant does not automatically mean a signal goes up. Engineering judgment and agency review guide the final call. The criteria are spelled out in Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Part 4.
City officials to review request
A city spokesperson told CBS News Miami that officials are reviewing whether a traffic study at the intersection is feasible. Because the family's petition asks the City of Hollywood, Broward County and FDOT to dig into the crossing, more than one agency could end up at the table, depending on jurisdiction and what an engineering review turns up.
For now the family is asking neighbors to sign the petition and show up at public meetings, hoping community pressure speeds up a process that can drag on quietly in government offices. They say they want a decision before another family gets the same life-altering phone call. The petition and the city's review mark the very beginning of the formal process. A traffic study would be the next step, but there is no public timeline yet for when that might start or when any recommendations might land.
