Boca Raton approves pilot speed-camera system for school zones

Boca Raton's City Council voted unanimously April 22 to approve a pilot contract with Red Speed Florida LLC to deploy a speed-detection camera system in selected school zones.

City staff described the effort as a safety-first pilot intended to change driver behavior near schools. "This initial phase would be considered a pilot," Public Works Director Zach Bier said, adding that staff used an intergovernmental cooperative agreement and an evaluation matrix to select the vendor.

The council and public asked detailed questions about procurement and operations. Council members pressed staff on vendor vetting and alternatives; Bier said staff reviewed four to six vendors and considered cooperative piggyback contracts to expedite deployment. He noted that different vendors use either a fixed monthly fee or per-ticket pricing and that statutory splits of ticket revenue among state, county and city are consistent across vendors. "The vendor selected is based on the safety analysis," Bier said.

Speakers for alternative vendors and industry advocates urged the council to consider other piggyback contracts or an RFP for a longer-term program. Stephen Abrams, representing Altamint, argued that his firm's contracted agreements were immediately available and cost-competitive. Red Speed representatives highlighted deployments elsewhere in Florida and Georgia and data they say show steep reductions in speeding after installations.

Council members sought clarity on the pilot timeline, training and permitting. Bier said staff expects several months of operational testing to work out implementation hiccups and expects training for law-enforcement evaluators will be relatively short; civilian evaluators would require more training. Staff also warned that county-owned rights of way will require separate county permits and that portable deployments raise security and logistical issues.

Implementation details include a community notification and warning period, and a citation threshold set at more than 10 mph over the posted school-zone speed limit during enforcement. Council members emphasized messaging to residents before citations begin.

The council approved the motion to adopt resolution 61-20-25 and authorize the contract, with a roll-call vote of 5-0. Council members said the pilot structure and contract termination rights give the city flexibility to address performance problems or to pursue a formal RFP after the pilot.