A ‘money grab?’ Manatee County makes change to school speed cameras after complaints

Bradenton Herald | By Victoria Villanueva-Marquez | February 11, 2025 

Manatee County officials have cut the hours for speed cameras in school zones after residents complained about getting tickets.

In the 30 minutes before and after school, the cameras will still ticket drivers who go faster than the posted speed limit in school zones. But the cameras will no longer be active throughout the school day.

“The only thing that’s changing is you’re not having an unfair surprise and ticketing people when the lights aren’t on and they weren’t aware that the cameras were still snapping,” Commissioner Bob McCann said.

The speed camera program started on the first day of school in August, the Bradenton Herald previously reported. After a months-long warning period, the county started to fine drivers $100 for speeding in school zones on Nov. 1.

The program’s goal is to protect children as they go to and from school, county officials said.

“You have to have a little bit of a balancing test between allowing a little bit of privacy for people when there’s a very low chance that kids are actually going to be going in and out of school,” Commissioner Amanda Ballard said.

Manatee County officials cut back speed camera hours

The county’s school zone cameras issued 10,629 warnings between Aug. 12 and Nov. 5 and 5,716 tickets between Nov. 1 and Nov. 18, the Herald previously reported. The county collected about $600,000 in speeding tickets in those few weeks.

“This is disproportionately affecting a lot of working-class families,” Commissioner Tal Siddique said. “I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck, $100 is a lot and contesting it where you have to potentially lose and pay $500, that’s insanity.”

One resident asked county officials to do a better job at alerting drivers of the cameras.

“I think most people that see the flashing signs, they put on the brakes, the ones that blow through, they deserve the $300 ticket, as far as I’m concerned,” resident Glen Gibellina said. “As long as they’re flashing, it’s the only time the camera should be on. They’re not flashing, then all bets are off.”

Previous county officials ended a red-light camera program in 2022 because they viewed it as a “money grab.”

When is the most dangerous time for children to walk?

“If we’re justifying these cameras in the middle of the day, why don’t we put cameras on every street in this entire town and monitor everybody one mile over a speed limit every place you roll to a stop at a stop sign,” Commissioner George Kruse said. “I’m not living in that world. There’s a time and place for these things, but they always end up being a money grab, and this is no exception.”

Another Manatee County resident questioned why the speed cameras were active throughout the school day. The most dangerous time for child pedestrians is between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“I have been adamant that this is ridiculous,” resident Andra Griffin said. “Why? Because children aren’t getting hit in our school zones in the mornings. They’re getting hit in their own home communities in the evenings, after 5 p.m. We’ve got the lights going off during the day, charging people. It is absolutely a money grab.”

Bradenton school zone cameras still active all day

City of Bradenton officials have not changed the hours of operation for their school zone speed cameras, and they remain active throughout the entire school day.

Bradenton police reminded drivers to be aware of the cameras in a social media post on Feb. 5.

The cameras are active around 10 schools within city limits, including elementary, middle and high schools.