Dave Elias
•9/9/2026
Body camera footage from the Fort Myers Police Department shows a city employee avoiding a $300 speeding ticket in a school zone after contacting the police chief on the first day of school in Lee County. Carloncia Lee, a legislative aide for the Fort Myers City Council who reports to the city manager, was pulled over for driving 12 miles per hour over the speed limit in a school zone. The footage shows Lee immediately calling Police Chief Jason Fields and handing her phone to Officer Obstein, who had stopped her. "Hi, Chief. How are you?" Officer Obstein said during the call. While the chief’s response is inaudible, Officer Obstein’s reply was clear. "Unfortunately not, sir. I have no exceptions today on the first day of school, going 12 miles an hour over in a school zone, sir," Obstein said. The officer reiterated his stance, saying, "I said, I don't have any discretion today, sir, when it comes to school zone violations, and she is going 12 miles an hour over the speed limit, sir." Obstein emphasized his zero-tolerance policy for school zone violations. "It's just zero tolerance. I have zero tolerance for it, sir," he said. After further discussion with the chief, the officer appeared to change course. "I could do that, sir," Obstein said. "All right, ma'am, I'm going to void the ticket that I originally wrote, ok? Ok. Because after speaking with the chief of police, I was asked to give you a professional courtesy," Obstein said. The decision saved Lee from a $300 fine. "It's saving you a $300 ticket. Ok... ok... thank you. Please slow down and drive safe," Obstein said. In response to the incident, the Fort Myers Police Department issued a statement saying, "They routinely use courtesy warnings as part of traffic enforcement," and added, "All law enforcement officers have discretion, when appropriate and consistent with the law and department policy, in how traffic violations are addressed." When asked for further clarification, a police spokesperson referred back to the statement. The police union and city manager were contacted for comment, but the city manager directed inquiries to the police chief, who declined an interview, citing a packed schedule. Lee works as an aide for Councilwoman Watkins-Brown. According to Watkins-Brown, aides are assigned to council members by the city manager. She also noted that Lee previously worked with the Fort Myers Police Department, though the specific department remains unclear. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.
