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Fort Myers council hears pitches for school‑zone speed cameras; vendors say cameras reduce speeds
Summary
Vendors Red Speed and another supplier presented turnkey school‑zone camera programs under Florida's HB 657. Council members praised potential safety gains but pressed vendors on data accuracy, contract terms and local oversight before moving to procurement steps.
The Fort Myers City Council heard presentations from two vendors about deploying school‑zone speed cameras under Florida legislation (HB 657) that limits enforcement to half an hour before and after school sessions.
Greg Parks of Red Speed told the panel the state law allows cameras only in designated school zones, sets a $100 civil penalty for qualifying violations, and requires a 30‑day public awareness period before enforcement. "It's only for greater than 10 over — we actually recommend 11 over because the tolerance of the equipment plus or minus 1 mile per hour," Parks said, arguing that camera programs have driven large reductions in violations elsewhere and come at no taxpayer cost because equipment and back‑office services are paid from paid citations.
The presentation described the statutory revenue split (municipalities retain 60% to be used for public safety or similar purposes) and the vendor's typical share (a per‑paid‑citation processing fee). Parks said the vendor provides traffic studies, signage, an annual report to the state and local hearing‑officer coordination. Police Chief Jason Fields told the council that Fort Myers PD would retain final approval of individual violations.
Councilmembers pressed vendors on accuracy, data provenance and public perception. One councilmember highlighted apparent mismatches in the traffic‑study listings, saying bluntly, "Those streets don't exist," and asked whether sloppiness in addresses could undermine public confidence. Vendors said detailed study files would be provided to staff and that the state law requires independent calibration (annually) and routine equipment checks; the vendor said it performs daily self‑checks and full monthly preventative maintenance.
No ordinance or contract was adopted at the workshop. Staff said next steps would include making sample ordinances available, confirming procurement approach (RFP or other), and scheduling a public hearing if the council opts to proceed.
