PALM BAY, Fla. — Dozens of drivers have complained to the city of Palm Bay about tickets they’ve received in a school zone where speed cameras have recently been installed.
What You Need To Know
- The city of Palm Bay has received complaints about school zone speed cameras in the area
- Police have confirmed there is a glitch in the system that they are working with the camera vendor to fix
- One local resident described her experience fighting the citations
Palm Bay Police officials confirmed there is currently a glitch they are working with the camera vendor to fix.
Palm Bay resident Yesenia Servello says she's been hit with school speed zone tickets twice and believes the cameras aren’t accurate on speed readings.
She said she received one ticket while heading home from work, and the other while she was driving a co-worker to their home after work.
“We were driving, I was keeping up with the flow of traffic, I wasn’t going too fast, it was the first time I was dropping her off,” Servello said of the second citation.
She said she was not speeding in the school zone, so there must be an issue with the camera system.
“I believe their cameras are off," she said. "It’s not getting the right speed."
Servello is one of dozens of residents who have complained to the city about the potential inaccuracy of the new school zone cameras.
In some cases, the ticket says it’s from a street in Miami-Dade — which is two-and-a-half hours away.
School zone cameras are supposed to operate in the time frames set by the district. The school zone times can vary depending on the school, and arrival and dismissal times differ for elementary, middle and high schools.
City officials say the cameras are scheduled to activate 30 minutes before and after school hours.
And they said drivers will only be issued a ticket if they are caught going more than 11 miles per hour over the posted limit in the school zone.
Palm Bay police paused local school zone speed enforcement cameras in February after some complained of incorrect fines or speeding infractions on days when schools were closed.
During an audit, police found glitches and ended up refunding or dismissing incorrect violations because of the errors.
Police say they visited every camera in every zone to make sure they were working properly.
Palm Bay Councilman Chandler Langevin has requested through social media that anyone who incorrectly received a school zone ticket to let him know.
And if someone’s ticket has Miami-Dade on it, they will get a follow-up letter saying the ticket is invalid and will be cancelled.
Servello is all for the cameras, but said she wants them to work properly.
“They need to make some adjustments, for sure,” she said.