Inside Collier County's traffic control center watching your commute

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — Every green light and road sign you pass has a team working behind it.

Traffic operators and engineers at the Collier County Traffic Operations Center monitor road conditions around the clock to keep drivers moving.

Traffic Management Center Manager Haris Domond said the center uses about 350 cameras placed across the county and on traffic signals.

"There are approximately 350 cameras, PTZ cameras, around the county and on our traffic signals. The purpose of these cameras is to manage traffic. They're making sure that people can go from point A to point B with a limited number of issues," Domond said.

One thing those cameras do not do is record.

"Our system is not established under the guise of a recording period. So we see what's happening as it happens," Domond said.

The cameras are just one part of the operation. Traffic signals across the county run on high-tech software stored in stainless-steel, weather-resistant cabinets along roadsides.

"That silver box on the side of the street, we have something called a controller, which is basically the brain of the intersection," Domond said.

Inside the same facility, a separate team handles road signs. Sign Operator Eddie Gonzalez said their printer can produce around 50 signs in just 30 minutes.

If a sign is damaged or missing, or if drivers have concerns about speeding in their neighborhood, the county wants to hear from them.

"Reach out on our website and send an email. We'll have an engineer or a group of people take a look at it to determine the best result. Whatever needs to be done so that we can ensure that it gets handled appropriately, we'll do it," Domond said.