166 so far: Eustis' new cameras nab drivers exceeding school zone limits by 10+ mph

At a Eustis City Commission meeting on Sept. 12, City Manager Tom Carrino first proposed installing a speed-detecting device at crosswalks in front of Eustis public schools.

The devices would be the first ones featured in the entire state.

The Eustis commission tabled the matter back then, but the city got the greenlight to install the cameras, and they were working on Feb. 21, when the city of Eustis began its first 30-day awareness campaign. Officials kicked it off with a press conference to announce the first school zone speed enforcement cameras in the vicinity of Eustis Elementary School.

The cameras, now located at the corner of Orange Avenue and Prescott Street, will allow the Eustis Police Department to track speeders and write tickets based on camera data.

The implementation of the city's school crossing cameras follows the passage of Florida House Bill 657, allowing municipalities to put cameras in school zones and fine drivers speeding 10 mph or more over the posted speed limit.

Why are the cameras needed?

The cameras are in response to recent findings that Florida is the third worst state for pedestrian traffic fatalities, according to a Florida Road Safety Report.

A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted in four cities across the U.S. found the camera programs reduced the number of accidents resulting in injury or death by an average of 30 percent.

During this period, violators will receive warnings instead of citations for driving 10 mph or more over the posted speed limit in the school zone. This warning period aims to encourage compliance and allow motorists to adjust their driving behaviors accordingly.

A 2018 Georgia law allowed speed detection companies like RedSpeed to set up shop in Georgia, partnering with local governments with the school district’s approval. The Alpharetta Department of Public Safety believes the cameras are working. A spokesperson told WSB-TV Channel 2 that only 8% of tickets are going to repeat offenders.

In Eustis, optimism surrounds the new devices. “We hope Eustis becomes the model for other cities to follow as they pursue safer roads for all of their residents,” Mayor Tom Holland said at the press conference ushering in the new devices."I can tell you that in less than a week, we checked and we had 166 violations," Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri told the Daily Commercial, commenting on his observations so far. "And that was after service address announcements, all of our social media pushes, all the stuff we've done to get the word out ... the school zone lights and everything else."

"These cameras are designed to capture speed at, during this time, when school's in session and only on school days," Chief Capri explained. "So, for around 181 days, those are the only days the cameras are on; not on weekends, not on holidays, not during the summer."

Camera-detected speed violations are only given if you're going 11 or more mph over the hspeed limit, the Eustis police chief added. The ticket starts out as a civil citation that costs $100, and if it isn't paid in 30 days, it becomes a moving traffic violation that will cost $164.

Forbes recently reported on findings released by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a nonprofit organization representing state highway safety offices, examined the use of automated enforcement technology to address risky driving behavior.

Transparency is of utmost importance, the report said, adding that revenue generated by safety cameras should focus on safetyand be used to support program start-up and maintenance costs. Excess revenue, the report suggests, should be directed to traffic safety initiatives, like infrastructure enhancements and education.

Pedestrian crossing cameras vs. red-light cameras? Are they better?

While school crossing cameras are in vogue, red light cameras are declining in popularity.

According to the Florida Department Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ “Red Light Camera Summary Report,” 508 red-light cameras were active in Florida as of June 30, 2018, down from 629 in 2017.

Florida Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Miami, has filed a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban the use of "traffic infraction detectors." According to CBS News in Miami, Garcia's proposal, which would need voter approval, wouldn't apply in school speed zones.

Interestingly, disapproval of using cameras in traffic enforcement can be found on both sides of the Florida legislative aisle.

“Putting in more cameras in more places to watch more people” is an overreach, said state Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach.

Rep. David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, has filed a proposed constitutional amendment that also would ban red-light cameras.

During a legislative debate, Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes from St. Petersburg, cited studies reporting that the cameras don't reduce traffic accidents and that low-income people could be hurt financially.

“Most of the people that will be fined by this are not the 1 percent,” Brandes said. “It will be the bottom half that will get half the tickets. And 100 bucks to them is a lot of money.”

Eustis' police chief defended the use of cameras, including red-light cameras. "They do stop people from running red lights, which in turn causes accidents, especially at intersections that we have known, a known history of accidents, vehicle accidents," he said.

The difference, the police chief said, is how they're funded. Red-light cameras have been characterized as "cash cows" for local governments.

Altumint’s speed enforcement program was chosen for the Eustis school-safety camera implementation and is 100 percent violator-funded with no cost to taxpayers, the company said in a press statement.

"When I was in Daytona, we had a red-light cameras and it was sold as a money maker," Chief Capri said. "That was out of pay range, of course, but this, what we're using here, is not to make money. We're here to stop people speeding in school zones, to protect our kids, our, our staff and faculty and control speed."

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: New Eustis school zone cameras not 'cash cow' like red-light cameras