Florida City Considers More School Zone Speed Cameras After Study Finds Thousands of Violations

A Florida city is considering adding more school zone speeding cameras — after a study caught over 6,000 violations in just two days.

The Tampa City Council will consider a school zone speed camera ordinance on Thursday that would potentially add cameras at 18 school zones throughout the city, Fox 13 reported.

A study by the company RedSpeed, which makes speed enforcement cameras, found serious speeding problems across the school zones, with an average of 200 to 3,000 violations a day, according to Fox 13.

St. Lawrence Catholic School had the highest number of violations. Over two days in April, 17,044 cars drove through that school zone — and 6,043 speeding violations were recorded.

The study counted violations from morning drop-offs all the way until afternoon dismissal.

At St. Lawrence, the speed limit during the school day is 15 mph. However, the cameras captured violations of 26 mph or more. When the speed limit rises to 30 mph after school, the cameras caught drivers hitting 41 mph or more, according to the report.

Despite this, the cameras would only be on and capturing violations during the school day, Tampa officials said.

Jim Reiser, Tampa Police Department’s program coordinator for the cameras, said they would use different speed thresholds depending on whether the school zone flashers were on.

“When the flashers are active, that means the slow speed zone is in effect,” Reiser said during a February City Council discussion.

The cameras would not issue violations after the school day ends, over the weekend or on school holidays.

“Students have to be present on campus for those speed cameras to work,” Reiser said.

During the February meeting, city officials tried to assure the public that the cameras would just be used for documenting speeding — not for broader surveillance.

“This is something that’s solely going to go for protection of children and for public safety,” councilman Luis Viera said.

The fine for speeding in a school zone is $100.

City officials say some of the money it receives from the violations will go toward the camera program, while some of it will go to the state, the school district and a school crossing guard program.

The ordinance is being presented Thursday for first reading consideration, and the process will not be finished with just one vote, according to the report.