TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers are pushing a bill that could make it easier to catch people speeding in school zones.
The bill would allow school districts to install cameras near campus.
Toby Overdorf, the Republican representing the state's 83rd district is sponsoring the bill. The representative for parts of Martin County and St. Lucie County says flashing beacons and crossing guards aren't cutting it, and adding in automated cameras could finally get drivers to pump the breaks.
"The schools are interested because there are violations that are happening throughout our state," Overdorf said. "The people that are there, the crossing guards, the school resource officers, they aren't plentiful to be able to enforce this."
Overdorf says drivers would be issued a warning for the first offense. But after the first offense, paper tickets would be sent to drivers in the mail. The second offense would be $132, and the cost would go up from there.
Tickets would only be issued when drivers are photographed going at least 10 mph over in a school zone.
The money to purchase the cameras would initially come out of the school budget, but Overdorf says the cameras would eventually pay for themselves with money coming in from the tickets.