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Bradenton receives first annual red speed camera report; council discusses safety and budget implications
Summary
Police presented the Red Speed camera report showing 192 notices in 2024 and early revenue; Finance reported $11,600 collected to date and city net of ~60%. Council debated signage, school-zone designations and budget expectations.
Bradenton Police presented the City Council with the first annual report on the city’s Red Speed school-zone camera program on Jan. 22, reporting initial enforcement data and prompting council discussion about signage, Florida Department of Transportation school-zone designations and budget projections.
Captain Jeremy Giddens of the Bradenton Police Department said camera deployment began late in the rollout and that the department recorded 192 notices of violation in 2024, of which 101 had been paid. He told the council there were no contested citations pending for 2024 in the materials distributed to the meeting.
Councilors raised concerns about consistent notification to drivers and whether school-zone times are clearly marked. Councilwoman Barnaby and others noted differences across locations; the council heard that some state-maintained roads require FDOT traffic studies before a formal school-zone designation can be applied. Council members asked staff to confirm that signage, timing and vendor coordination matched each school zone’s posted limits.
Finance and administrative staff briefed the council on revenue distribution and collection to date. Mr. Williams (city finance staff) reported deposits covering the period from Dec. 8, 2024, through Jan. 8, 2025: total receipts were about $11,600; the city’s net share is approximately 60% after statutorily required distributions. Meeting comments detailed the allocation formula in summary: a half-percent to fund crossing-guard programs, 12% to the school district, 23% to state Department of Revenue funds, and about 21% to the vendor (Redspeed) as its contract share; the remainder is retained by the city.
Councilors and staff cautioned the program’s principal goal is behavior modification and pedestrian safety rather than revenue generation. Council discussion addressed program timing, the effect of storms and infrastructure delays (including power connections), and a short-term spike in violations followed by expected behavior changes.
Staff said one camera location still awaited activation (15th Street East/Alternate State Road 70) and that FDOT was completing studies for other sites, including State Route 64 in front of Manatee Elementary. Council members asked for follow-up information: confirmation of signage and activation schedules, full-year revenue projections compared with current budgeted estimates, and an accounting of deposits and distributions once more data are available.
Ending: City staff offered to return with updated FDOT findings, camera activation timetables, and periodic revenue reports; council asked that public messaging and signage be reinforced to minimize disputes.
