The stoplights at several Lakeland intersections click to red and the errant drivers pass under them. The flash goes off, and the dye is cast.
Weeks later, citations arrive in the mail at the addresses of the vehicles' owners, notifying them of the $125 infractions. They can pay it or request a hearing.
Today, more than a dozen accused traffic scofflaws are expected to attend the first hearing in Lakeland to contest their tickets sent after cars were photographed running red lights.
Cameras were set up at nine Lakeland intersections and began recording infractions on June 1. Thousands of tickets were handed out over the first two months, including some to repeat violators; one was a woman who got four tickets that could cost her more than $1,000.
Lakeland spokesman Kevin Cook said this is the first chance for people to appeal their fines. He said that 18 people who have received citations are signed up to plead their cases before a hearing officer beginning at 9 a.m. today.
He said that over the first two months of operation, about 5,000 tickets were issued. As of Wednesday, the city has received payment from 1,763 motorists, Cook said.
At the next appeals hearing, scheduled for September, as many as 25 people are expected to argue their cases, he said.
The cameras are operated by American Traffic Solutions, an Arizona company that has placed cameras in cities and counties across the Sunshine State, including Temple Terrace, which, over the first five months, logged nearly 30,000 violations at two intersections.
After reviewing the videos, Temple Terrace police ended up sending citations to about a third of those whose driving habits triggered the cameras.
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