Florida County Rakes In Nearly $600,000 In Just 3 Weeks From School Zone Speed Camera Fines

If you’re cruising through a school zone in Manatee County, Florida, with a lead foot, you might want to rethink your approach. Thanks to dozens of newly installed speed cameras, keeping an eye on your speed isn’t just good manners, it’s essential if you want to avoid a $100 hit to your wallet.

The new cameras supplied by RedSpeed started operating in August for a 3-month grace period until November. During this time, 10,629 warnings were issued to drivers caught speeding through school zones across the county. Ticketing started on November 1, and in the first three weeks of the month, no less than 5,716 fines were issued, each costing $100. That means local officials have already collected over $571,000 in fines.

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The cameras have been configured to record the speed and take a photo of any car traveling at more than 10 mph over the posted speed limit across Bradenton-area school zones. These cameras only operate during the school day, 30 minutes before school starts, and 30 minutes after school ends, presumably to avoid catching night owls or weekend joyriders. The setup is straightforward: a snapshot of the offending car and a tidy $100 fine delivered to your mailbox.

But where does all that cash go? According to the Bradenton Herald, the county pockets $65 from each fine, the state receives $23, and the school district receives $12. RedSpeed, which installed the cameras free of charge at about two dozen schools, takes home $19.80 from the county for every violation caught on film.

As of November 18, the Bradenton Herald reports that the company has already collected roughly $113,000 since ticketing began at the start of the month. Not a bad business model, if you ask us.

Local officials argue the initiative is all about safety. Sheriff Rick Wells keeps it simple: “Because we should all be concerned about the safety of children, we shouldn’t have to remind motorists to slow down, that’s one number. And secondly, if drivers just obey the posted speed limits, they don’t have to worry about receiving a fine.”

Meanwhile, school district spokesperson Mike Barber, says the speed cameras will help to keep children and families safe while they travel to and from school. It’s unclear if local authorities plan to introduce speed cameras across other school zones, but given how lucrative they’ve already proven to be, they could become more commonplace.

Screenshot via 10 Tampa Bay