Family of woman killed in St. Lucie County crash says roadside memorial keeps being removed
By Rachael Perry
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ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — More than three years after 27-year-old Kaitlyn Kohler was struck and killed while crossing U.S. 1 in St. Lucie County, her family says they’re facing a new battle of keeping her roadside memorial standing.
Kohler was killed in May 2023 while crossing U.S. 1. According to investigators, a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputy was responding to assist with a traffic stop and was traveling about 100 mph without emergency lights or sirens activated when Kohler entered the crosswalk against a “Do Not Walk” signal. She died at the scene.
The deputy was later cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, and no criminal charges were filed.
Now, Kohler’s family says the memorial they’ve created at the intersection where she died has been removed three separate times after they say they’ve recieved approval to have it there.
“It’s always something. We just want to grieve in peace. We want to be able to grieve her and not have to keep fighting,” said Kohler’s mother, Brandi Kohler.
Brandi says she drives by the memorial every day.
“I drive by it twice a day, and I always smile at her beautiful face,” she said.
But that comfort has repeatedly been interrupted.
Kohler’s mother and stepmother told WPBF 25 News they have been informed that multiple complaints have led to requests for the memorial to be removed.
“Somebody was riding a motorcycle, said that debris from her site got into his wheel and he almost crashed. FDOT called us, told us we needed to take the stuff down. We came up here, took it down,” Brandi said.
The family says they complied with the Florida Department of Transportation’s request to modify the memorial. However, on Tuesday, the memorial was removed once again.
Brandi says they contacted a representative with FDOT who later acknowledged it should not have happened and that they would be putting the memorial back the following day.
As of Wednesday morning, the memorial was returned to the site where the crash happened. However, the family says they hope the repeated complaints finally come to an end.
“It’s not hurting them. It’s not hurting anybody. It’s in nobody’s way. Just let us have our last piece of our daughter. This is the last piece of our daughter. Just let us have it in peace,” Brandi said.
FDOT has guidelines for official roadside memorial markers, but those policies do not include family-created memorials placed along roadways.
For Kohler’s family, the memorial is about far more than flowers and photographs.
“It’s a memory. It’s the last place that she was, and we would like to keep that,” Brandi told WPBF.
FDOT has a set of rules for roadside memorials on its website, along with a form for families to fill out to request a memorial.
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