Two major roadways in Orange County will be renamed to honor the police lieutenant and deputy killed earlier this year in the line of duty. A portion of State Road 438 between John Young Parkway and Pine Hills Road will become Lt. Debra Clayton Memorial Highway; part of County Road 431 between Silver Star Road and State Road 50 will be called Deputy First Class Norman Lewis Memorial Highway.
Both officers were longtime veterans on the force. Lt. Clayton wasfatally shot on January 9th while attempting to arrest Markeith Loyd, a suspect in the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon. Deputy Lewis was killed in a traffic accident in Pine Hills in pursuit of Loyd.
“We don’t want to focus on how they lost their lives, but we want to focus on how they lived their lives and what a great example for us who are still here," said Orange County District 6 Commissioner Victoria Siplin.
Both officers have been celebrated for working hard to bring the community and law enforcement closer together.
"They wanted to change some of the outcomes of some of the young folks in our community, so it's great to honor them in a way that we won’t forget the work that that they did,” Siplin added.
Florida lawmakers introduced a bill to rename the state roads after Lt. Clayton and Deputy Lewis. The vote passed unanimously in May.