Red light cameras have made quite a splash in Sarasota area since being put into use by law enforcement in January of this year. Having collected more than $1 million in red light fines in just the first six months of this year, Sarasota has quickly become the 10th most active ticketer among Florida’s 71 cities and counties that use red light cameras. In fact, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the city of Sarasota issued more tickets and collected more fines in June than Orlando, Tallahasee and Fort Lauderdale, cities that each have at least three times the population of Sarasota.
Of the $158 fine accompanied by each red light ticket, $83 goes to the state (the majority of which is disbursed to the state general fund) and $75 goes to the local municipality. Of particular controversy is whether these cameras are being exploited as an easy money-making tool for state and local governments to line their coffers, rather than to encourage safe driving.
Finebloom & Haenel’s own partner David Haenel was asked to weigh in on the controversy for the Tribune, and for a video piece by WTSP 10 News Tampa Bay (shown in full below). Despite the markedly decreasing number of red light tickets being issued (down from 2,103 in May to only 569 in August), David notes that the cameras may compromise driver safety by encouraging rear-end collisions as drivers brake suddenly to avoid a ticket.
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