Winter Park sees decrease in red-light camera citations

Are red-light cameras serving their purpose in Winter Park?

Red light camera revenue continues to drop in the city of culture and heritage as less and less citations are being issued – a potential indicator that the cameras are stopping drivers from running red lights.

Winter Park Finance Director Wes Hamil said that red-light camera revenue peaked in fiscal year 2013 at roughly $1.1 million, but that the number dropped to roughly $750,000 in fiscal year 2015. The city received $350,000 less than they were anticipating for that year and expect to receive even less in fiscal year 2016, budgeting for $725,000.

That also means a drop in citations. Winter Park Police Department records show that 2013 saw 17,971 citations issued. That number dropped to 16,687 in 2015.

“We believe the decline in tickets is attributable to the fact that drivers are aware of the location of the cameras and have altered their behavior as a result of our red-light camera safety program,” said Lt. Pam Marcum of the Winter Park Police Department.

But Winter Park is no stranger to controversy over red-light cameras.

The city was forced to refund hundreds of residents for red-light camera citations due to noncompliance with a Florida Department of Transportation mandate back in January 2014. The city failed to extend yellow lights at intersections with red-light cameras by 0.4 seconds by Dec. 31, 2013.

Four of the city’s six intersections with red-light cameras were not in compliance. The yellow lights were corrected as of Feb. 7, but more than 550 motorists had been fined since Jan. 1, said Clarissa Howard, the city’s director of communications.

In February 2014, the city also passed a resolution opposing a state bill that would have cut back on camera enforcement.

The bill would have modified the state’s current red-light camera program, potentially banning new cameras starting July 1, 2014 and cutting the cost of a red-light camera violation nearly in half, dropping it from the current $158 to $83.

The City Commission and staff feared the bill would make the city’s cameras less effective, as well as cause an unnecessary tax burden on residents.

Winter Park would have lost $600,000 in revenue from red-light camera violators if the legislation had passed, City Manager Randy Knight said.

The controversial legislation – part of broader a transportation bill titled HB 7005 – was removed in early 2014 by the Florida House’s Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.