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Florida drivers caught speeding could receive onion by Grinch

Traffic Enforcement-Grinch
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With the holiday season here, if drivers are caught speeding in Marathon, Florida, they might get a visit from the Grinch.

In a video posted on the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, officials explained that they'll be working with the Florida Highway Patrol to "spread the word about traffic safety in the school zone and beyond."

"We want everyone to arrive alive and get home safely to their families," the sheriff's deputy said.

Typically if you are stopped speeding, drivers can receive a warning or a ticket.

But for Col. Lou Caputo, he wanted to do something different that would bring awareness about slowing down in school zones: giving drivers onions, the sheriff's office told EW Scripps.

Captuto came up with the idea more than 20 years ago to dress up as the fictional Dr. Seuss character by giving onions to unsuspected drivers, the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office told EW Scripps that if a driver is stopped from going above the listed school zone's speed limit by about 5 mph or less, they have the option to receive traffic citations or have the Grinch give them an onion.

The sheriff's office said drivers typically choose the onion over receiving a citation, but there are some who have eaten it in front of Caputo.

Drivers could be issued a heavier-fined ticket if they are traveling more than five over, the sheriff's office said.