Orlando, FL – The local arm of the Florida Highway Patrol has finally joined the 21st Century.
In a press release sent on Wednesday, FHP’s Troop D – which covers the Greater Orlando area, including Daytona Beach – announced that it’s joining Twitter, using the handle @FHPOrlando (click here).
Trooper Steven Montiero – the man who will run the @FHPOrlando account – says the main goal is to share FHP-related information with the general public, including information on significant traffic events and traffic enforcement operations.
“Everyone basically has a Twitter account,” Montiero added. “The news is almost coming proactively to you now. Most people don’t go home and turn their TV on anymore and are actively pursuing news. It’s coming right to your phone.”
FHP also plans to use the local Twitter account to highlight what troopers are doing on the streets, be it helping stranded motorists or rescuing the occasional stray animal.
Montiero says the account shouldn’t be seen as a 24/7 or even a main source of traffic information, but it will supplement the other methods FHP uses to get the word out when big traffic incidents happen.
This move is part of a directive at FHP’s highest levels to get all of its 10 troops more active on social media, according to Montiero.
These Twitter accounts are different than the main FHP Twitter account, which is primarily run out of Tallahassee.
FHP’s Troop D stops its coverage at the Volusia border. Troop G – which primarily covers the Jacksonville area – handles Flagler County. They do not have a local Twitter account set up at this time.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.