Palm Bay stops using school zone speed cameras for the rest of the school year

In Palm Bay, Florida, the city has decided to suspend its school zone speed camera program for the remainder of the school year due to concerns about its effectiveness. The city expressed that the program did not meet the necessary standards for implementation in the community, leading to the decision to halt it temporarily.

The city emphasized its commitment to upholding public trust and safety by ensuring that any system used for public safety purposes is accurate, reliable, and transparent. Recognizing the current shortcomings in performance, Palm Bay opted to suspend the School Zone Speed Camera program to prioritize the well-being of its residents.

This suspension marks the second time this year that Palm Bay has paused the program to address issues and make improvements based on growing complaints from the community. The initial suspension took place in late February, following concerns expressed to the Palm Bay police department through feedback from residents.

The cameras — provided by the company RedSpeed USA — are expected to spot anyone going more than 10 mph above the speed limit in an active school zone and to have those findings reviewed by a traffic enforcement officer, after which the plan is to send violators $100 tickets in the mail.

During the last pause, police referred to the issues as incorrect violations caused by glitches impacting some school zones after the cameras went live. No further specifics were given beyond the police department promising “to align all school zones with school schedules and state regulations.” Following this, the cameras started coming back online at the end of March.

Those who have received a violation through the program can pay it online, request a hearing date for a magistrate, or contact RedSpeed at 1-877-204-0867, according to the city.