Commission sets school-zone speed-camera ordinance for public hearing after contentious debate

The Broward County Commission voted 6-2 to set for public hearing a resolution directing the county administrator to publish notice for an ordinance to permit speed-detection systems in school zones and replace section 23-6 of the county code.

The sponsor, identified in the meeting as Senator Geller, said the ordinance is intended to protect students while including safeguards to avoid so-called speed traps. Geller told the commission he built “every possible safeguard” into the draft, including limiting automated citations to zones with functioning flashing yellow lights and preventing camera placement within 100 feet just inside a zone to allow drivers time to slow.

A representative for vendor Red Speed, Nick Matthews of Becker Firm, spoke in favor of broader, full-day enforcement and cited outcome data from other Florida communities: “When you implement a program all day and you do it right, speeding goes way down and the overwhelming majority of violators are non local folks speeding through your neighborhoods, endangering your children,” Matthews said, and he presented case-study numbers showing large reductions in speeding for jurisdictions that used full-day enforcement.

Opposition on the dais centered on fairness and scale. Commissioner McKenzie and others said local experience suggests neighborhood residents — not out-of-area drivers — constitute a significant share of local speeding, and they argued the ordinance as drafted would initially apply only to Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD) schools and could unfairly single out those neighborhoods. Several commissioners asked that the ordinance be circulated to cities as a template and that county staff advise the municipalities about adopting consistent protections; the sponsor agreed to an amendment to request that outreach.

After extended discussion, the commission voted 6-2 to set the measure for public hearing; the item will be returned to the commission following the required public-notice process. Commissioners supporting the public-hearing motion said the ordinance provides protections for drivers (limits on camera placement and requiring flashing lights) while giving administrators a tool to reduce dangerous speeding near schools; dissenting commissioners said they feared the measure could disproportionately affect residents in parts of the BMSD that already face higher insurance rates and limited traffic-calming resources.

Why this matters: Automated speed enforcement is a commonly used tool to reduce vehicle speeds around schools, but local officials must balance road safety with concerns about fairness, revenue motives and differential policing. The commission’s vote advances the ordinance to a formal hearing where the public will have an opportunity to testify.