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State Law May Stop Red-Light Camera Plan

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 11, 2007

PORT RICHEY - Red-light runners beware: Big Brother may soon be watching you.

Port Richey officials are working on a plan to install high-speed surveillance cameras to catch red-light violators at several junctions along a congested section of U.S. 19.

The move, if approved, would make this west Pasco County city one of a handful of communities across the state to use the cameras, touted as a way to crack down on traffic scofflaws while generating additional revenue for municipal coffers.

Only problem is, red-light cameras technically are illegal in Florida.

'I don't see how they think they could do that,' said Kris Carson, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation office in Tampa. 'They're not legal in Florida and the DOT will not allow them to be installed along a state right of way such as Highway U.S. 19.'
Interim City Manager James Mathieu said he thinks city officials have the authority to install the cameras, but he needs to further research the issue before they move forward.

'We think we can do this,' he said. 'But if the attorney general says we can't, we won't.'

Tuesday night, the city council unanimously voted to solicit bids to install the cameras, after watching a PowerPoint presentation from a St. Louis-based company.

Tickets issued as a result of the cameras could generate more than $300,000 a year for the city, said Greg Parks of American Traffic Solutions.

The system would provide photographs and video of a vehicle and its license plate, he said. The police department, which would have 24-hour access to the cameras, would view the evidence and decide whether it backs up a citation.

Parks said his company will pay to install and maintain the cameras. In return, the company gets a percentage of the ticket revenue.

'It's entirely self-funded,' he said. 'There's no out-of-pocket expenses for the city.'
City officials are eyeing the crossroads of U.S. 19 and Ridge Road as a possible location for the cameras, as well as the highway's intersections with Grand Boulevard and Leo Kidd Avenue.

Advocacy groups and a handful of cities across Florida have been lobbying the Legislature for years - to no avail - to pass a law allowing the cameras.

Proposed legislation named after Mark Wandall, who died in 2003 when his car was hit by a red-light runner, was approved by a House subcommittee in the 2006 session, but never made it to the floor for a vote. That bill is expected to be revisited next year.

Meanwhile, private firms have been courting city and county governments and setting up pilot projects with the cameras, anticipating possible changes in state law.

The cities of Pembroke Pines and Apopka and the Panhandle town of Gulf Breeze have been using the cameras for several years by exploiting a loophole in the law that allows municipalities to enact traffic ordinances or install the cameras on city property.

In 2005, then-Attorney General Charlie Crist issued an opinion saying it's 'unlawful' for cities to give red light camera tickets without the sanction of the Legislature.

Crist said the cameras could be installed, but no ticket issued, because state law requires that a law enforcement officer must personally observe the violation.

Currently, red-light cameras are being used in 14 states. Recent studies offer conflicting information about their effectiveness. Some point to a significant drop in deadly T-bone crashes; others indicate a major increase in rear-end collisions.

According to the national Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more than 900 people are killed every year in crashes involving red light running. The nonprofit group estimates half of the deaths are pedestrians and passengers in other vehicles.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (727) 815-1082 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

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