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Sheriff defends county speed‑camera program after public due‑process concerns
Summary
A Baker County resident urged the commission to reconsider automated speed and school‑zone cameras, citing a Broward County judge's ruling on due process; Sheriff Randy Cruz told the board the office is following state law, that appeals are pending and that staff will reassess the program's effectiveness after the first school year.
A Baker County resident, identified in the public‑comment period as Curtis, told the Board of County Commissioners that a Broward County decision by Judge Steven P. DeLuca found a camera‑ticketing system unconstitutional and warned the county that continuing to operate speed cameras could expose it to civil‑rights litigation. "Until they can come up with a system that actually identifies the driver and not the vehicle owner, then this will remain unconstitutional," Curtis said, adding that the system shifts the burden of proof to the registered owner.
Sheriff Randy Cruz responded to the comment during the same meeting, saying the sheriff's Office enforces laws as written and is following current state statutes and administrative procedures. "We enforce the laws as they are written, which is interpreted by lawyers," Cruz said. He told commissioners the county's cameras have driven measurable changes in behavior — from an average of about 1,434 violations per day in school zones down to roughly 50 per day — and that the office and the board agreed to reassess the program after the first school year.
Cruz also said an appeal is pending in the Broward case and that a final appellate outcome could clarify statewide practice. "When an appellate court says that they're not valid or there's a violation of rights, then we will definitely just accordingly," he told the board. Cruz emphasized that the sheriff's Office will not intentionally violate citizens' rights.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about ticket back‑side forms and the process for naming an alternate driver. Curtis warned that the ticket language shifts the burden to the registered owner to identify the driver. Board members and staff discussed that the camera program was implemented in coordination with the sheriff's office and county ordinance, and that any reassessment or funding change would follow internal review and legal developments.
The board did not take immediate formal action on the cameras during the meeting; commissioners said staff and the sheriff would continue to monitor legal developments and local results before recommending policy changes.
