More than a dozen lights are out on the Wonderwood Bridge after thieves stole more than $120,000 worth of copper wiring, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office told Action News Jax.

The outage drew added concern ahead of Nov. 1, when daylight saving time ended and clocks moved back one hour, bringing earlier evening darkness by the clock.

"It's pretty scary, you know, I drive there with my kids every day," said Megan McGowan, who has lived a block from the bridge for four years. She said the bridge has been dark for as long as she can remember.

"You don't see anything, especially when you're at the very top of the bridge," McGowan said. "You can see other cars maybe coming up, but you just see their lights."

Action News Jax reported that electrical pull boxes on both sides of the bridge had been left open after the thefts, leaving the lighting system damaged.

Resident John Sternad said he worries about pedestrians on the bridge. He said the problem has persisted on and off for years.

Thefts date to 2024

A JSO police report from April listed the City of Jacksonville as the victim of a grand theft exceeding $100,000. The report documented incidents in 2024 and again in January 2026, according to Action News Jax.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) said in a statement that it worked with the local municipality in 2025 to replace much of the copper wiring with aluminum, which has less scrap value. The switch was meant to discourage thieves.

FDOT said attempted thefts continued despite the changes. The agency said damage from an attempted theft was identified as recently as Sept. 8.

Deterrents added, thefts continue

FDOT said it has added labels on pull boxes identifying the wiring as aluminum, upgraded locks, installed surveillance cameras and taken steps to make the boxes harder to access.

The agency acknowledged that repairs alone cannot stop the problem. Attempted theft and vandalism can cause recurring outages even after crews finish fixes, FDOT said. The agency also warned the thefts are dangerous because of the high-voltage lines involved.

In its Oct. 30 report, Action News Jax said JEA did not know whether the lights were on and directed questions to the city. City officials said they were looking into the matter and referred questions to FDOT. The report gave no timeline for restoring the lights.

Copper theft is a broader problem across Jacksonville. A separate JSO investigation led to the Sept. 25 arrest of a man accused of stealing nearly $60,000 in copper from cell towers citywide, News4Jax reported.

Residents who see someone tampering with infrastructure can call JSO's non-emergency line at 904-630-0500.