Osceola County residents hope new speed detection devices will be running soon

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — It’s a discussion that’s been going on since last year. Osceola County plans to install new speed detection to contain traffic violations across 14 different school zones.

▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

The locations were selected based on a study conducted by the county that highlighted the 16 zones with heightened safety risk in the county.

The report shows that, out of the 65,000 vehicles that passed by school zones, well more than a half were speeding. Some going as fast as 70-miles per hour where the speed limit was 20 miles per hour during school hours.

“I’ve seen that. I’ve seen people pressuring me to go faster, but I try to stay on the speed limit. If they don’t like it, I’m sorry for them,” said longtime Osceola County resident Hector Gonzalez. “We need more speed detection devices. They have to control the speeding here.”

Read: Local school district plans to discuss installing speed zone cameras

The new system uses radars to verify how fast a vehicle goes and takes a picture or a video of the plate. Drivers going faster than 11 mph above the limit will face a $ 100 fine per violation.

The move comes after a new law went into effect in 2023, allowing local governments to put cameras in school zones to fine anyone going more than 10/mph above the speed limit.

“We know our law enforcement agencies are stretched thin, and cannot be in every roadway, every point of the day,” said Osceola County Commissioner Brandon Arrington. “The whole idea behind putting these cameras in places is to get people to slow down and hopefully make the school zones safer.”

Read: Stetson University to face defending champions in March Madness debut

According to the commissioner, the money generated from the fines will be used to pay for the devices, making this a cost-neutral initiative.

During the meeting on Monday, the board of commissioners unanimously approved Verra Mobility as the vendor that will be responsible for providing the devices.

The 5-year contract will last until March 2029, and could be renewed until 2031. The county will now be able to move forward with a budget and a timeline for when the devices will be installed.