23-107 A Portion of I-275 Dedicated to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Hartwick

PINELLAS COUNTY - Today, August 16, 2023, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office unveiled a sign officially dedicating a portion of I-275 after Deputy Michael Hartwick.

Effective July 1, 2023, the Florida Legislature designated the portion of I-275 between mile markers 30 and 31 in Pinellas County as “Deputy Sheriff Michael Hartwick Memorial Highway.

Deputy Hartwick was killed in the line of duty on September 23, 2022, near Exit 30 on southbound I-275. Deputy Hartwick was assigned to assist a construction crew and provide safety for them during their overnight roadwork on the interstate. He parked his cruiser in the southbound lanes of I-275, with his emergency equipment on. Moments later, Deputy Hartwick exited his cruiser, walked to the shoulder of the road, and was struck by a large front loader driven by a construction worker. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said, “The naming of the roads after our deputies who were killed in the line of duty is important, because a hero remembered never dies.”

A photo attached to this release shows the FDOT sign by mile marker 30.