PALM BAY, Fla. – Saying it’s been causing concerns and does not meet the standards “for any program implemented in our community‚” Palm Bay on Wednesday announced it’s suspending its school zone speed camera program for the remainder of the school year.
“As stewards of public trust and safety, it is our responsibility to ensure that any system used to support public safety functions with complete accuracy, reliability, and transparency. Until we can guarantee consistent performance, we have determined that it is in the best interest of our city and its citizens to suspend the School Zone Speed Camera program for the remainder of the current school year,” the city said in a news release.
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It’s the second time this year that Palm Bay has pulled the program aside for improvements as complaints mounted. That first pause occurred in late February as the city apologized for the frustration and stress it said was being relayed to Palm Bay police via community feedback.
The cameras — provided by the company RedSpeed USA — are expected to spot anyone going more than 10 mph above the speed limit in an active school zone and to have those findings reviewed by a traffic enforcement officer, after which the plan is to send violators $100 tickets in the mail.
During the last pause, police referred to the issues as incorrect violations caused by glitches impacting some school zones after the cameras went live. No further specifics were given beyond the police department promising “to align all school zones with school schedules and state regulations.” Following this, the cameras started coming back online at the end of March.
Those who have received a violation through the program can pay it online, request a hearing date for a magistrate, or contact RedSpeed at 1-877-204-0867, according to the city.