OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — All school zone speeding tickets recently issued by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office using speed cameras have been dismissed after the agency suspended its enforcement program due to concerns over whether the cameras were legally placed.
One by one, drivers who had received citations for speeding through school zones saw their tickets thrown out in court. The dismissals came at the request of the Sheriff’s Office, which said it could not move forward while questions remain about camera placement.
Channel 9 has reported that speed cameras in both Osceola County and St. Cloud are positioned outside of school zones. Florida law requires the cameras to be placed within the designated school zone.
The company that holds the contracts for both camera programs, Verra Mobility, has stated that the cameras are in compliance with state law. However, the Sheriff’s Office said it was still waiting for guidance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and had not received clarification before the cases went to court.
As a result, the Sheriff’s Office suspended the program, leaving prosecutors with no choice but to dismiss the 35 tickets on the docket today..
Ticket Clinic attorney Ira Karmelin represented 14 drivers at Monday’s hearing. Before he had the opportunity to challenge the citations, the judge dismissed the cases at the Sheriff’s Office’s request.
Karmelin said he was not surprised by the decision.
“Last month they dismissed them voluntarily for that reason,” Karmelin said. “They said they were going forward with it today, but at the last minute someone at the Sheriff’s Office decided to change course. And I think that is the right thing to do. They are not in compliance with the statute.”
Meanwhile, Ocoee has not suspended its school zone speed camera program. Attorneys say those tickets could also face legal challenges.
Channel 9 has reached out to all lawmakers who sponsored or supported the school zone speed camera legislation, but none have returned requests for comment.
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