By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Hillsborough County commissioners voted this month to approve a camera enforcement system that aims to deter motorists from speeding in school zones — and fining them $100 if they don’t slow down.
Approved unanimously at the board’s Aug. 7 meeting is a contract between the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and RedSpeed Florida, the traffic company HCSO selected to install photo enforcement camera systems, as set forth by county ordinance 23-22, adopted in November 2023.
More specifically, the ordinance concerns speed violations in the 29 school zones designated by county officials as having a heightened safety risk, based on data and evidence collected by the sheriff’s office. The zones include those for Ruskin Elementary and Lennard High schools in Ruskin, and for Frost Elementary, Giunta Middle, Rodgers Middle and Riverview
High schools in Riverview. Also included is Winthrop Charter School in Riverview.
The ordinance follows a state law passed in April 2023, which authorizes counties to use speed detection systems to enforce applicable speed limits in school zones.
According to county officials, enforcement is limited to motor vehicles traveling in excess of 10 miles per hour over the school zone speed limit in the hours during — and 30 minutes both before and after — the school day.
Before a violation is issued, the ordinance calls for a law enforcement officer, or traffic infraction enforcement officer, to confirm a violation, based on a review of the photography or video images.
Violations carry a $100 fine, of which $65 is earmarked for the county, “for camera program administration, public safety and school crossing guards.” The Florida Department of Revenue collects $23. The remaining $12 goes to the Hillsborough County school district, “for school security, transportation or safety of student walking conditions.”
According to the Florida Police Chiefs Association, RedSpeed services include remote video archive retrieval, live video streaming, traffic and speed reports, and single pole installation.
The “speed detection system” uses radar or LiDAR to capture a photograph or video of the rear of a motor vehicle that exceeds the speed limit in force at the time of the violation.
Commissioner Josh Wostal said it’s a no-brainer to support camera system enforcement, a less costly alternative to dependence on law enforcement personnel.
Wostal admitted that at first he had reservations “about the government recording things like this,” but then not so much, given “that all the footage gets deleted.”
Trumping all concerns is that of safety, as Wostal and Commissioner Pat Kemp noted before the 7-0 vote.
“We have a terrible problem,” Kemp said. “Hillsborough County is number two in the nation, time after time after time again, for pedestrian and bicycle deaths, and it’s a very, very serious problem.”
Wostal said he drives through two school zones on his way to work at the Fred B. Karl County Center in Tampa, “and everybody is speeding through the school zone it seems, so I will move for approval.”
The county ordinance calls for a 30-day public awareness campaign before fines are imposed. During this time, only a warning will be issued.
In a related development, in partnership with BusPatrol, exterior photo enforcement cameras have been placed on the stop-arm extenders of some 1,000 school buses operated by the Hillsborough County school district. The warning period for this initiative ends Sept. 12.
The cameras are used to detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses with their stop-arms deployed and red lights flashing. The fine is $225 for each violation. Proceeds go to the school district, which in turn will pay a percentage back to BusPatrol to pay for the installed cameras. Reportedly there was no upfront charge to install the cameras. The remaining money will be used by the school district’s transportation office to help recruit and retain school bus drivers.