EUSTIS, Fla. — Even if you have children, you know to expect extra traffic on our roads at the start of the school year.
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But you can also expect speed enforcement cameras in school zones this year.
Many cities have implemented these cameras in Central Florida.
Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri said this is the first city in Florida to install the devices.
“We’re here to save lives and protect kids,” Capri said.
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If you speed through the school zone near Eustis Elementary, the camera will catch you and send you a $100 ticket.
Capri said the police take it seriously.
“You hit a kid and kill a kid, God forbid, you got to live with that the rest of your life,” he said. “I don’t know how I would be able to handle that, and I see this stuff.”
Capri said one driver had five citations in two days, and another hit 80 mph in the school zone.
“I get it. You speed, you make mistakes,” he said. “But not in a school zone. You know, the margin for error is very slim.”
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The City of Eustis added cameras on Washington Avenue near Eustis High School and Bates Avenue near the Curtwright campus.
In Orlando, similar cameras could eventually be coming to some school zones, including Boone High.
In late June, Orlando City Commissioners voted unanimously to install cameras at high-risk school zones.
The proposed locations, which included Lake Como School and others, could change.
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“We’re going to do some more data collection as soon as school begins to ensure that we do it correctly,” said Jim Young with the City of Orlando.
The city said they will present it to commissioners once it is complete. If it passes, we could see speed cameras in place next school year, all to slow drivers down.
Last week, St. Cloud leaders signed off on speed-enforcement cameras in school zones.
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