Tampa Approves School Zone Speed Cameras

- The program operates at no cost to the city; for every $100 fine, Tampa receives $39. The remaining revenue is divided, with portions going to the state's general fund, school safety enhancements, law enforcement training, and school crossing guard recruitment. - Violations are issued to drivers exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph or more, resulting in a $100 fine. These citations will not result in points being assessed against a driver's license. - The City Council's 6-1 approval followed the mutual termination of a previous contract with a different vendor in December 2025 due to implementation concerns. Council member Bill Carlson was the lone dissenting vote on the new agreement. - The city's vendor, RedSpeed, is integrated with Flock Safety, a company that provides automated license plate readers. This connection raised concerns about potential mass surveillance and data sharing with federal immigration agencies like ICE. - Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw has stated that state law and city code prohibit the sharing of data from the speed cameras with Flock or any other vendor for surveillance purposes. - The initial rollout will include cameras at 13 schools identified by a 2022 study as having a "heightened safety risk" based on traffic data and student demographics. - This initiative is made possible by a 2023 Florida state law that legalized the use of speed cameras within school zones. - Data from other cities with similar programs suggests a significant impact on driver behavior; a study in Dalton, GA, showed a 90% reduction in vehicles speeding more than 10 mph over the limit in school zones.