TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hillsborough Stoplight Cameras Face A Photo Finish

ADVERTISEMENT

By RICH SHOPES

rshopes@tampatrib.com

Published: November 3, 2008

TAMPA - Get ready to smile for the camera.

Hillsborough County is about a week away from selecting a company to install automated cameras at 10 intersections to photograph drivers who run red lights.

That means drivers could see $125 tickets showing up in their mailboxes by early next year.

Many details of the program have yet to be worked out. A committee of seven sheriff's officers and deputies has spent the past month reviewing applications from five companies to install and operate the cameras.

The county would pay fees to the selected vendor to lease its equipment and for technical assistance. Revenue from tickets would go to the county, said Cpl. Rob Rodriguez, who is coordinating the project.

The sides still need to settle on a final list of problem intersections and to work through technical details related to the software. After that, installation of the cameras could begin, possibly in January, Rodriguez said.

Hillsborough is following other Florida cities and counties using red-light cameras after lawmakers refused to enact legislation to govern the technology.

Sarasota County, Port Richey, Temple Terrace and Orlando all recently approved camera programs.

The biggest complaints have been that the technology is intrusive and that governments are doing it to make money, not to make roads safer.

Rodriguez said that's not true.

"The intention here is to make roads safer, to prevent serious crashes and to just reduce violations," Rodriguez said. "It's been successful in other areas, and that's what we're trying to duplicate here."

In 2007, more than 100 people were killed in accidents in which drivers ran red lights and more than 5,800 were injured, according to the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

The automated, high-speed cameras take photographs of cars and their license plates as the vehicles enter an intersection after the light turns red. Before tickets are mailed out, police officers review the footage.

The sheriff's office will begin ticketing after a 60-day warning period. Motorists who get a ticket can pay the fine or challenge it in court. Getting a ticket will not add points to a motorist's license or affect insurance rates.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT