Politics & Government
Tampa City Council Approves Red Light Cameras
Running a red light will bring drivers a $158 citation in the mail.
Red light cameras are coming to Tampa.
The City Council narrowly approved a contract to install the controversial machines that result in automatic tickets for drivers who run red lights at intersections.
Drivers will face a $158 fine for failing to stop at a red light at any of the 20 intersections targeted, according to Assistant Police Chief John Bennett. The cameras will snap a photo of the vehicle's license plate and the driver will receive a citation in the mail.
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Several citizens addressed the new council with concerns about the proposal, including black residents who said that they believed the cameras would be used for surveillance.
“What's going on with these surveillance cameras?” asked Michelle Williams. “Is it just that blacks are being targeted now?”
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Another citizen, who gave the name “Life,” said that too many of the cameras were being directed toward East Tampa, and that they were unnecessary. “There is no lack of police presence in those neighborhoods,” he said. “I don't buy the public safety bit.”
James Reddick, the newly elected councilman for East Tampa, sympathized with those concerns. He said that too many of the cameras were scheduled to be placed in predominantly black neighborhoods. Reddick said that unemployed people and people on a fixed income in his district would have trouble paying the tickets. He said he could not vote for the proposal because “it's a disservice to the people I represent.”
Bennett said that of the 20 cameras planned, only three will be on East Hillsborough Avenue, and the cameras will not take photographs of drivers, only license plates. The contract, with American Traffic Solutions, provides that Tampa police officers will review each citation before it is issued.
“This is a non-intrusive system,” said Bennett.
Bennett said that the red light cameras would improve public safety. “We have 300 red light crashes per year,” he said.
He also said $50,000 will be set aside for a campaign to inform the public about the new cameras and there will be a 30-day warning period before a driver receives a traffic citation.
The vote was as follows:
- Yvonne Capin, District 3: No
- Harry Cohen, District 4: Yes
- Charlie Miranda, District 6: No
- Lisa Montelione, District 7: Yes
- Mary Mulhern, District 2: Yes
- Frank Reddick, District 5: No
- Mike Suarez, District 1: Yes