CLERMONT, Fla. — When it comes to red light cameras, you either like them or you don’t.
One Florida lawmaker is on the “don’t” side, and said he wants to do something about them.
Republican state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, of Clermont, is pushing a bill that would pull the plug on red light camera programs statewide.
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In 2018, the city of Apopka, which was one of the first cities in the country to adopt red light cameras, voted to shut down the program. The cameras officially went offline on Dec. 31.
Drivers have always had varied opinions when it comes to the cameras. For some, they’re key to making roads and intersections safer. For others, it’s a way to get money from people who misjudged how short that yellow light would be.
The latter is not a view shared by people in law enforcement or the transportation industry.
“The red light cameras are a part of the enforcement element that we need to improve safety,” said City of Orlando transportation director Billy Hattaway.
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According to a recent report by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, crashes are down a little more than two percent in Orlando since red light cameras were installed.
However, the same report shows an increase in crashes in the rest of Central Florida. Lakeland and Osceola counties are the jurisdictions with the biggest increases in crashes.
The study also shows a little more than 50,000 tickets were issued by hand last year, compared to more than a million tickets issued by red light cameras.
State Rep. Sabatini's bill will go before lawmakers in March. Click here to read the bill.
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Cox Media Group
