County's Red-Light Cameras Will Soon Be Rolling

Red-light cameras will soon be rolling at two intersections that Manatee County hopes to make safer — and turn into revenue generators.

County commissioners on Tuesday approved a 30-day warning period for traffic-monitoring cameras at two county-maintained intersections — 53rd Avenue West and 34th Street, and 57th Avenue East and 15th Street.

Three cameras are already fully or partially installed at the north- and southbound approaches of both intersections and could begin filming by next month, according to Cheri Coryea, director of the county's neighborhood services department.

Affiliated Computer Systems, the private company that owns and operates the cameras, will begin taking pictures and sending out warning notices to violators for a period of 30 days once the cameras are switched on, as mandated by state statute. Once the warning period is over, they'll begin sending out $185 traffic citations to motorists who run red lights.

The tickets have to be approved by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office before they can be issued.

Tuesday's 6-0 vote (Commissioner Larry Bustle was absent) was meant to get the ball rolling while the county and the camera vendor continue to hammer out some amendments to their contract and begin to inform the public.

"I've had three cameras in the ground for well over six months that I've wanted to turn on and haven't been able to," said Abby Jenkins, a representative of ACS.

Meanwhile, the state law that empowered Florida municipalities to collect fines from red-light cameras could be in jeopardy. The Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program — named for a Bradenton resident who was killed by a red-light runner in 2003 — faces a possible repeal during the state's current legislative session on the grounds that the cameras are just money-makers and violate peoples' privacy.

Jenkins said her company is closely monitoring the bills filed in both the Florida House and the Senate aimed at repealing parts of the Wandall law and doesn't believe they'll move forward before the session ends May 6.

Several commissioners expressed concern about the costs the county would incur by switching on the cameras. Under the agreement with ACS — which had to be amended when the state ruled municipalities could not be charged on a per-ticket basis — the county would pay $4,650 a month per camera.

"It's almost $10,000 a month (per intersection) on the premonition you're hoping people get tickets to pay for it," board chairwoman Carol Whitmore said. "That's a lot of money."

The county's studies found that the first two intersections would yield about 14-16 violations per day and would more than cover the costs for the cameras, Coryea said.

The county's costs would not kick in until traffic citations begin to be issued and fines are collected after the 30-day warning period.

The company has already spent $500,000 on equipment and installation, which it will begin to recoup once the tickets are issued. The state will receive $83 of each $185 ticket, with the county keeping the rest and using a portion of it to pay for the cameras.

The county modeled its program after one initiated by the city of Bradenton in 2009. ACS operates the city's four red-light cameras and has plans for six more.

Commissioner Donna Hayes said she was "highly disappointed" that the intersection of State Road 70 and Tara Boulevard, where Wandall was killed, , although that is one of several county intersections ACS is considering next, Jenkins said. Also on that list: Cortez Road and 26th Street West; U.S. 41 and 57th Avenue West; and U.S. 41 and and Cortez.