Florida woman creates ‘no prostitution' sign for neighborhood

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Florida woman, fed up with prostitution in her Florida neighborhood, has a message for people soliciting sex.

Margaret Gregory created a sign that says "no prostitution in this neighborhood," complete with an STD information pamphlet. As a taxpaying citizen in Jacksonville, she said she shouldn't have to accept that kind of illegal behavior.

“We find condoms sometimes when we get up in the middle of the night or the morning,” she said. “My neighbor next door. She’s had people go up in her yard. They do their transactions there. Up and down here. They circle around this area doing U-turns. They circle back and forth. It’s hard for traffic to come by.”

Instead of watching from the sidelines, Gregory used a marker to create her sign. Neighbors are catching on to her message.

“I just noticed it yesterday,” area resident Clarence Felder said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has been busy catching offenders. A 28 year-old woman was arrested on Sept. 25, and a 38 year-old woman was caught Aug. 30 at a neighborhood motel. Several stings in September netted at least nine arrests.

Gregory’s goal is that her small stand will make a big change.

“Hopefully that will deter them from coming down here in this community,” Gregory said.

Gregory also started a petition to get more cameras installed around the neighborhood. She hopes to get 1,500 signatures so she can present it to city council members.

Cox Media Group