FLORIDA — The wheels of change are in motion for drivers who believe they were unfairly caught on camera passing a Florida school bus while it was stopped for kids.
In quietly filed legislation that got the green light from lawmakers this week, drivers will soon be able to challenge the fine without going to court or paying more just to defend themselves.
The fix comes just three months after we were first in the state to uncover how the state’s new school bus camera program was fining some drivers without a way to fight back.
The program, aimed at protecting students, lets counties cite drivers caught on camera blowing past a bus with its stop arm out.
Since the fall, three Florida counties have equipped their school buses with these extra eyes.
Watch Katie Lagrone's full report
More than 200 thousand violations have been issued, totaling nearly $30 million in paid fines, fueling concerns that it’s an easy money grab.
In February, those concerns escalated after we spoke with drivers who believe they were unfairly cited.
Then we discovered that drivers in Hillsborough and Miami-Dade had no way to appeal the $225 fine because the courts haven’t been set up to hear challenges. Miami Dade has since suspended its program due to a multitude of issues, including a lack of due process.
In Polk County, we found drivers who choose to fight back have to wait until their $225 violation becomes a $329 uniform traffic citation.
Cleo Davis got two, in the same spot near a railroad track in Polk County.
“Why am I getting a ticket at a railroad crossing,” he asked.
He’s challenging both violations and now faces nearly $700 in fines since both were upgraded to traffic citations before he could get a court date to challenge them.
“I feel like it’s strong-arm robbery,” he told us.
Earlier this week, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, whose agency reviews and distributes school bus fines for the county and takes a piece of the profits, defended the program but acknowledged its problems.
“People don’t like the current appeal process and frankly I don’t either. I don’t think you should have to pay an extra $100 to appeal your citation but I didn’t create the law,” he said.
The newly passed legislation will not only extend the time drivers have to contest a fine but also allow school districts to handle the appeals process instead of local courts. [Though that could raise questions since school districts also profit from every paid fine.]
Verra Mobility, which operates school bus cameras in Polk County and receives the largest share of the profits, called lawmakers’ actions “an important step forward in ensuring both accountability and fairness.”
While BusPatrol, the camera vendor for Hillsborough and Miami Dade County schools called it, “a major win for Florida’s families, school districts, and public safety.”
The bill heads to the Governor for a final signature. Once it becomes law, it will take effect on July 1.
“State lawmakers took decisive action improving Florida’s school bus stop-arm safety law, providing relief to courts from a prior obligation and empowering local communities to continue to curb reckless driving around school buses. This legislation demonstrates the State of Florida’s strong commitment to student safety on our roadways. We applaud the Senate and House, including sponsors Senator DeCiglie and Representative McFarland, for taking swift, decisive, unanimous action. This is a major win for Florida’s families, school districts, and public safety.”
“Verra Mobility is proud to have worked closely with lawmakers to strengthen and clarify the state’s school bus stop-arm camera legislation. This legislation will help improve the consistency and effectiveness of programs statewide while also creating a clearer, more accessible process for drivers to contest violations they believe were issued in error. This is an important step forward in ensuring both accountability and fairness as we focus on what’s most important - student safety.”
"There are no safeguards, and I feel like that's part of where the system failed"
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