OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — More than a dozen people this morning were in an Osceola County courtroom, hoping to fight school zone speed camera tickets.
But attorneys from both the Ticket Clinic and the Sheriff’s Office were there for a bigger reason — asking a judge to settle a months-long dispute over whether the cameras were legally placed under state law.
At the center of the debate: where a school zone actually begins and ends.
FDOT guidelines were originally interpreted to require cameras to be placed inside school zones. A recent update expanded what qualifies as a school zone area, potentially putting the cameras within legal limits, but that update also created confusion.
In the end, the judge said the law lacked clarity and ruled in favor of the Sheriff’s Office.
“I find where they may be placed to be somewhat ambiguous,” the judge said.“Based on what I heard today, there is nothing incorrect about where these detectors have been placed.”
That ruling allows Osceola County and St. Cloud to resume verifying speed camera tickets. That means drivers could once again be cited for speeding through school zones where cameras are installed.
Captain Kim Montes says safety is the priority.
“It’s about the safety of the kids in this area, so we wanted to see somebody make a decision on this particular issue,” Captain Montes said.
However, another problem surfaced in court. No one was able to confirm whether the detection system used by the cameras is officially approved by the state. Because of that, tickets issued today were thrown out.
“If they are on the approved DOT list, then there should be no other reason preventing us from continuing this program,” said Captain Montes
Opponents of the cameras say the legal fight is far from over.
“Absolutely, the cameras have to be placed inside the school zone,” said Ira Karmelin, despite the judge’s ruling.“That statute is not ambiguous. ‘In a school zone’ is plain language.” he added
An appeal could still be filed in the case. It’s unclear whether the Sheriff’s Office will wait for that process to play out or restart the camera program immediately.
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