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Cameras Sought At Lights

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By RICH SHOPES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 12, 2008

Updated: 01/12/2008 12:15 am

TAMPA - Hillsborough County is considering joining the handful of Florida communities that use video cameras to nab drivers who blow through red lights.
County Commission chairman Ken Hagan, who will bring up the proposal at Wednesday's commission meeting, said the cameras would boost ticket revenue and help deputies ensure intersections are safer.

"It's unfortunate, but it seems to me that running red lights has become an epidemic," Hagan said.

If commissioners like the idea, Hagan will ask County Attorney Renee Lee for a legal opinion and then introduce an ordinance, likely next month, to set up the program.

Scores of details need to be hashed out, such as the amount of the fines, but Hagan said he envisions cameras being installed at a couple of intersections and then gradually spreading to others.

He said he began considering the idea after the sheriff's office approached him a couple of months ago, but the topic has surfaced intermittently the past few years.

It hasn't caught on statewide because of a ban against using cameras to enforce traffic laws. While he was attorney general, Gov. Charlie Crist wrote an opinion in 2005 that said the cameras cannot be used to enforce traffic laws.
Gulf Breeze in the Panhandle and Pembroke Pines in Miami-Dade County found a way around the prohibition by passing ordinances that imposed nonmoving violations, similar to parking tickets.

A handful of Florida cities have adopted a similar strategy and plan to install the cameras, including Port Richey in Pasco County.

Hagan said he expects Hillsborough's ordinance to be similar. It would not impose criminal penalties; violators would not be assessed points against their licenses and their insurance rates would not be affected.

Fines from the violations could be used to pay for the cameras, so "it wouldn't cost taxpayers any money," Hagan said.

The program would work like this: High-speed cameras would capture video of the vehicle as it passes through a red light. That information would be sent to computers and reproduced as still photos. Deputies would view each photo before the violation notices are sent out.

Drivers would be able to go online to check the video and pay using a credit card or go to court to challenge the ticket.

"Revenue is not the intent here, it's safety," said Cpl. Rob Rodriguez of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, who reviewed the technology. "There is no cost to the taxpayer. The importance here is to save lives."

Installation costs, which can be more than $100,000 per intersection, would be paid for by the fines, he said.

Don Galloway, manager of Sarasota County's Traffic Engineering and Operations Division, said a three-month pilot program in 2006 produced more than 900 violation notices at two intersections in that county.

Traffic cameras were installed at Lockwood Ridge Road and 17th Street, and at Jacaranda Boulevard and Commercial Court. Because the program was only a study of the equipment's effectiveness, no fines were assessed.

Instead of a violation notice, offenders received a letter and a copy of a photo showing their car going through the red light.

"The letter said something like, 'Please drive more safely in the future,'" Galloway said.

Sarasota officials considered the program a success but decided to wait to see what happens at the state level before making the program permanent.

In March, state lawmakers are expected to take up a bill to allow cameras at intersections. Advocates say they save lives because they discourage drivers from blowing through red lights and causing deadly T-bone crashes.

Opponents, such as the National Motorists Association, say they can lead to more rear-end collisions. Some people also have complained about the Big Brother aspect of using remote cameras for law enforcement.

Melissa Wandell of Bradenton, who's been pushing for the legislation for four years after her husband was killed when another car ran a red light, said she was pleased to hear Hillsborough County is considering the cameras.

"It's very encouraging because it makes me feel that I'm not alone in this fight," she said. "My husband's life was worth more. He deserved more. My love is so deep for him I'm not going to give up. Red-light running is a problem in the state of Florida, and I'm going to see this legislation through."

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.

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