Miami Beach considers speed cameras in school zones
MIAMI BEACH - The Miami Beach City Commission is considering installing speed cameras at school zones.
Kathy Stamos, who walks her son across Alton Road every day to South Pointe Elementary, said people don't always follow the rules of the road.
"Look at how fast these cars are going right now. They should be going 15 miles and hour. Nobody's going 15," Stamos said.
Stamos said that could make something as simple as crossing the street less stressful.
"We look both ways about 20 times where you're looking left, you're looking right, you're looking left you're looking right because you never know who's gonna stop and who's not gonna stop," Stamos said.
The city can explore this option after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law in 2023 that allows Florida cities and counties to install speed detection systems in school zones.
Miami Beach took bids from companies that can install the cameras. They've narrowed their search down to three vendors.
Commissioner Joe Magazine said it is on their agenda because of the location of the schools in the city.
"My daughter's school is right on Alton Road, a main corridor," Magazine said. "We have other schools. North Beach elementary is right on 41st Street. So these are highly traveled corridors often on high rates of speed."
If the cameras are approved, Miami Beach would join Hialeah Gardens, Deerfield Beach Hollywood and South Miami as some South Florida cities with the cameras.
South Miami has four school zones with speed cameras that could issue a $100 if you drive more than 10 miles over the speed limit. Magazine would rather have this extra safety measure in place ahead of time.
"I would much rather lead from the front of this than sitting there and having something tragic happen in our community and lead from behind," Magazine said.
Magazine said details will be ironed out after the item is discussed in the city commission meeting Wednesday.
In South Miami, where they already have these school zone speed cameras, police say they've already issued over 2,500 violations in their first month, and that's after the vendor and an officer sign off on each one of them.
