FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — Florida lawmakers failed to pass a bill this legislative session that would have required flashing lights in school speed zones equipped with cameras, leaving some drivers frustrated over what they’ve described as "confusing" signage in these areas.
The stalled legislation means flashing lights remain optional in school zones equipped with cameras, as long as a signpost indicates when a driver must slow down. The proposed bill was part of a larger transportation package and stalled after a Senate rewrite.
Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Robert Bage is President of the Florida Police Chiefs Association. Earlier this session, he appeared before lawmakers at a committee hearing to defend the cameras but acknowledged the need to clarify confusion about the flashing lights.
"There was some confusion about the reduced speed limit, and this amendment takes care of that confusion and requires the flashing beacon," Bage said at the time.
Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone recently spoke with Bage after the bill failed to move forward.
"Ultimately, if there's room for improvement and you don't improve something that is, by definition a missed opportunity. So, I would say this was a missed opportunity," Bage said about the legislation.
“It’s definitely a missed opportunity,” said Hillsborough County resident Joe Weaver, who first brought the issue of non-flashing beacons to our attention last year.
Weaver received a $100 fine after a camera captured him speeding in a school zone near his home. At the time, Weaver was clocked going 38 mph, which was under the regular posted limit of 40 mph but 18 miles over the school speed zone limit. Drivers are only fined if the cameras catch them traveling more than 10 miles over posted limits.
Weaver thought the speed limit was 40 mph since it was well after school let out for the day, and there was no beacon flashing.
"Since I didn't see the flashing light, I assumed the speed limit was 40," Weaver told a local magistrate during his appeals hearing.
Weaver lost his appeal, along with plenty of other drivers who shared similar sentiments about confusing signage and flashing beacons that weren’t flashing when they were caught by cameras going above the school speed zone limit, but below the regular posted speed limit.
The local magistrate hearing their cases offered a critical view of the camera law, calling it “confusing” and in need of revision. The same magistrate recently spoke out to Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone describing his county’s camera program as a “rip off” to drivers.
Weaver recently showed us the sign where he was ticketed. One year after we first spoke with him, the sign still reads 20 miles per hour when flashing, but the sign is not equipped with a flashing beacon (there is a sign with a flashing beacon a few hundred yards away).
"There should be a beacon on this sign that says, speed limit 20 when flashing, he said. “Nothing has changed. It puts us [drivers] at a disadvantage," Weaver said.
Since school speed zone cameras started rolling in dozens of cities and counties across Florida last year, nearly 850,000 violations have been issued. The violations have generated more than $66 million in paid fines, according to RedSpeed, the camera vendor operating most of these cameras in the state.
Profits from each $100 violation are divided among local and state governments and the private for-profit camera vendor, which collects $21 of every fine.
Despite the lack of action by lawmakers this session, Chief Bage believes the cameras are working to improve safety around schools. In his own community of Fort Walton Beach, just over 9,000 violations have been issued since last year, and Bage said speeding in school zones is down 95%.
"Our goal is a change in driving behavior. I know people talk about the revenues, about the fines and everything else, but ultimately, if we collected $0 and made nothing off the program, that would mean that we ultimately changed every motorist behavior and that nobody was speeding around our schools anymore," Bage said.
Weaver said he is now extra careful when driving through a school speed zone.
"I typically do 20 miles per hour, except on the weekends," Weaver said.
When asked if his behavior proves the cameras are working to slow drivers down around school, Weaver responded, "well, that was the intent but the way the signs are posted, it could be very confusing to any person," he said. “it's a money graph, and they're not eager to change anything and that’s unfortunate for the citizens," Weaver said.
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Katie LaGrone focuses on making sure Florida’s laws actually work and her investigations have gotten results. If you know of a policy or law that’s not working how it’s intended, send Katie a message below.
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