Fla. school speed zone camera program faces reforms

FLORIDA — Florida lawmakers are considering changes to the state's school speed zone camera program after our investigation uncovered drivers being unfairly ticketed.

A new bill aimed at addressing glitches in the program received full support during a committee meeting in Tallahassee on Thursday. The bill now moves on to the next committee.

WATCH: Florida school speed zone camera program faces reforms after our investigation uncovers ticketing issues

The legislation is part of HB 543, a wide-ranging transportation bill introduced by Republican Representative Fiona McFarland of Sarasota. It would require flashing beacons to be active to enforce the reduced school zone speed limit. It would also double the amount of time drivers have to respond to a violation — from 30 to 60 days.

WELL INTENTIONED BUT POORLY EXECUTED, CRITICS SAY

Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone and photojournalist Matthew Apthorp have been investigating the state’s new school speed zone camera program since July.

For months, they’ve spoken with drivers who were ticketed when school wasn’t even in session, when signs were not clearly posted, and when flashing beacons — which are supposed to direct drivers to slow down — were not flashing. Those problems contributed to some counties pausing these cameras altogether.

"There was some confusion about the reduced speed limit, and this bill, this amendment takes care of that confusion and requires the flashing beacon," Chief Robert Badge, president of the Florida Police Chiefs Association, told lawmakers.

DO THE CAMERAS MAKE SCHOOL ZONES SAFER?

Badge testified in support of the bill during Thursday's committee meeting, offering a strong defense of the camera program overall.

"People living by the schools talking about this is the first time they're seeing real change in driver behaviors," Badge said.

"We have seen changes around our schools," he said.

Badge also pointed to data from his own city as evidence the cameras are working.

"Statistically in Fort Walton Beach, we've seen a 95% reduction in speeding violations, a 50% in traffic crash reductions and over 70% of people never receive a second violation, which shows true change in driver behavior," Badge said.

Despite that support, some drivers caught by the cameras have been vocal in their frustration.

LOCAL MAGISTRATE: “IT’S A BROKEN SYSTEM”

"It's a money grab," Joe Weaver of Hillsborough County told us back in July

"Feels like a gotcha program," Karen Bowman, a teacher in Hillsborough County told us after she was also slapped with a $100 citation after being captured supposedly speeding in a school zone when the flashing beacon wasn’t flashing. At the time, Bowman was traveling under the regular posted speed limit.

The cameras have also drawn criticism from at least one county official. Dr. Tom Santarlas, a Hillsborough County magistrate, shared his assessment of the program with us after ruling on hundreds of drivers' appeals.

During our recent interview, Santarlas voiced several concerns about how the cameras were operating in Hillsborough County and why the devices seemed to be set up for drivers to fail.

Among the issues he raised is the lack of evidence included in driver violations. The cameras capture an image of a vehicle with a date and time stamp of an alleged violation, but it does not include an image of the speed limit sign showing a driver was adequately informed of the speed limit at the time they were caught speeding.

"They can pull that camera back 30 feet, 40 feet, and get everything in that frame of vision for the magistrate to see," Santarlas said.

Santarlas said the program, as currently structured, is not set up fairly for drivers.

"It's a broken system. There's no doubt about it," he said.

The Hillsborough County sheriff’s office, which helps operate the cameras in the county, referred any concerns about camera implementation to the legislature.

THE CAMERAS CONTINUE GENERATING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR LOCAL, STATE

The cameras have proven to be a significant revenue generator. Since launching in several dozen counties and cities across the state, the program has resulted in more than 827,000 driver citations and nearly $66 million in paid fines, according to private camera vendor RedSpeed, which collects about $21 from each fine. The remainder is divided among local school districts, law enforcement agencies and the state.

Critics who have spoken out about the program agreed with the concept of school zone speed enforcement in principle, but believe the program needs changes to be fair to everyone on the road.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.