OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Osceola County has suspended ticketing through its school-zone speed camera program after questions surfaced about whether dozens of cameras were installed outside the legally defined school zones.
The county has 32 speed detection cameras installed at schools. The program began issuing tickets in March, but five months later, 9 Investigates began looking into the system after receiving a tip that the devices might be installed incorrectly.
Captain Kim Montes told us that this is not an excuse for people now to speed that they program is about kids safety and told us deputies will be at schools to ticket speeders as needed.
State Law on Camera Placement
According to Florida statute, a speed-zone camera must be placed or installed within a school zone. However, after visiting roughly six locations, 9 Investigates found cameras positioned outside the designated school zone boundaries.
Contractor Responds
The cameras were installed by Verra Mobility.
Verra Mobility’s priority is to work closely with the communities we serve to ensure our programs are effective and in accordance with the law. We collaborated with Osceola County on camera locations and remain confident that the placement complies with statutory requirements, capturing violations that occur within the designated school zone. We respect the County’s decision to temporarily pause enforcement and thoroughly review the matter; we will continue to work with the County during this process. Our goal is to continue improving safety for students and families in Osceola County and throughout Florida.
County Emails Show Confusion
Emails obtained by 9 Investigates show Osceola County leaders going back and forth for days for trying to determine whether the installations complied with state law. Some internal messages concluded the cameras were out of compliance, while others stated they met requirements.
On Thursday, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office stopped issuing tickets altogether while the situation is reviewed.
FDOT Silent With Media, But Responds to Police
9 Investigates asked the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) twice for clarification on whether the cameras were required to be inside the school zone, but FDOT did not respond.
However, FDOT did answer an identical question from the St. Cloud Police Department, which also uses cameras installed by Verra Mobility.
St. Cloud also suspended their tickets
Emails obtained by 9 Investigates show St. Cloud Police reached out to FDOT last week asking:
“Is the camera required to be placed within the school zone?”
FDOT’s response was clear:
“This is correct.”
Following that response, St. Cloud has now suspended its program as well.
The police chief would not return our calls for comment, but a spokesperson told us they will still collect data from speeders but not approve tickets until this all gets sorted out.
It’s not clear what will happen, if anything to the more than 29,000 tickets issued already in the county.
The other question is who would pay to move the camera’s if it is determined they have to be moved, Montes said it would not be the sheriff’s office.
This is a developing story and we will have more on eyewitness news.
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