New bill would create statewide ban of red-light cameras in Florida

Today, the Florida House of Representatives will discuss a bill that would essentially ban local governments across the state from using red-light cameras.

The bill, HB 6007, easily cruised through Monday’s House committees and is slated for a floor session this afternoon. If passed, the bill would take affect on July 1, 2020.

Back in February, a similar bill, SB 178, which was also aimed at banning red light cameras, failed to get enough votes in the Florida Senate.

Despite overwhelming statistics that show red light camera systems cause more accidents than they prevent, Orange County has quite a few n place.

A recent study from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shows a large increase in collisions at Florida intersections with red light cameras. The study showed that between July 2012 to April 2016, rear end collisions were up 11.41 percent at red light camera intersections.

According to the State Department of Revenue, Florida brought in nearly $60 million from red light camera fines last year.

 

This article appears in Mar 22-28, 2017.