Tampa Approves School Zone Speed Cameras
Tampa's City Council has approved the installation of speed cameras in school zones to automatically ticket speeding drivers. The decision was made despite public concerns raised about the vendor, Flock Safety, and its reported involvement in immigration enforcement activities.
- The city's contract is with RedSpeed Florida and is a "piggyback" agreement, meaning it adopts the terms of an existing contract between RedSpeed and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. This arrangement allows the city to bypass a separate, lengthy procurement process. - For each $100 fine issued, the City of Tampa will receive $39. The program is designed to be at no cost to the city, with the vendor, RedSpeed, covering the installation and operational expenses. - In the first year of Hillsborough County's similar "Operation Safe Passage" program, from August 2024 to July 2025, 5,775 violations were issued, generating $310,378 in revenue. This revenue was distributed among several entities, including a Public Safety Initiative ($120,627), the Florida Department of Revenue ($61,860), and the County School District ($37,116). - Data from other cities using RedSpeed cameras show significant reductions in speeding. In Pinecrest, Florida, speeding in enforced school zones is down by over 90%, and in South Miami, it has decreased by 93%. - Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw has stated that state and local laws prohibit RedSpeed from sharing data with its partner company, Flock Safety, or any other vendor for surveillance purposes. This addresses public concerns about Flock Safety's data being potentially used for federal immigration enforcement. - A study of automated speed enforcement in 250 Toronto school zones found that cameras reduced the number of speeding vehicles by 45%. Notably, the study also found that once the cameras were removed, speeding rates returned to their previous levels. - This is not the city's first attempt at implementing this program; a previous contract with a different vendor was mutually terminated in December 2025 after anticipated revenue was not going to be realized for that fiscal year. - The current vendor, RedSpeed, was chosen despite scoring third among proposals, 12 points behind the winning proposal from Verra Mobility which could not be met.
