Geographical Index > United States > Florida > Hillsborough County > Report # 18395
(Class B)
Submitted by witness on Tuesday, March 27, 2007.
Possible sighting by motorist near the Four Corners phosphate mine
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YEAR: 1996
SEASON: Spring MONTH: May STATE: Florida COUNTY: Hillsborough County NEAREST TOWN: plant city NEAREST ROAD: highway 39 OBSERVED: I got off work around 2am and was going home.I took a left on hopewell road off hwy.39. Made the left turn on the road. As I was driving less than a minute a car heading to me was speeding and flashing there headlight highbeams.I didnt know if it was teens playing around or somebody that had to much to drink,so I blew it off.As I was coming to the curve there is a fence maybe 4 to 5 feet tall. as i was going around the curve my headlights caught something that looked to be 3 to 4feet taller than the fence. It looked at me with these red eyes.i felt numb,and frighten.I always think about the other person that was driving that night,what did they see.The sight has been devloped since then, trees almost gone ALSO NOTICED: dont know OTHER WITNESSES: YES,DON'T KNOW HOW MANY WAS IN THE CAR TIME AND CONDITIONS: around 2:00 to 3:00am ENVIRONMENT: VERY WOODED ORANGE GROVE,PONDS
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Caroline Curtis:
I spoke to the witness and drove by the location. There is a creek, several mining pits or ponds, railroad tracks, orange groves and one house nearby. The area has not changed dramatically in the past ten years, though there are fewer orange trees. The old barbed wire fence is about 4 feet high. What she saw possibly came from a nearby orange grove and crossed the road. She had slowed down just before she saw the human-like figure clearing the fence to her right. It was about twice the height of the fence and uniformly dark in color.
When I asked about the eyes she said they reminded her of a deer in the headlights, except it wasn't a deer. The color was brake-light-red, and seemed to be reflecting off her headlights as it looked her way.
She described the fear that came over her as a "white feeling", comparing it to the sensation one has before passing out or when you sense something bad is about to happen.
This possible sighting occured on the edge of Four Corners, the world's largest phosphate mine (58,000+ acres). The mining company has restored much of the stripped land, to provide habitat for wildlife. Approx. 350 species of animals inhabit the restored areas - including several threatened species.
About BFRO Investigator Caroline Curtis:
- Worked as an Assistant to a Circuit Court Judge in Florida for thirteen years
- An avid outdoorswoman, growing up in the UP of Michigan on a family-owned fishing and hunting resort
- Certified Visual Tracker, Level 1
- Attended and assisted with numerous public and private BFRO expeditions
- She and the Florida BFRO organized South Florida Expedition 2008, North Florida Expedition 2008 and Central Florida Expedition in 2009.
- She and the Michigan BFRO organized the Lower-Michigan Expedition in 2011, Michigan UP Expeditions in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 and Wisconsin 2018
- BFRO Secretary for almost 20 years
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