The Leesburg city commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the approval of a photo enforcement services agreement with Altumint Inc., a traffic safety technology company, to address speeders in school zones.Â
Police Chief Robert Hicks sought the resolution in order to make the school zones safer for Leesburg’s students. Chief Hicks had been impressed by the data generated by the city of Eustis which issued 767 warning tickets the first month the cameras were installed. Commissioner Allan Reisman said that he had viewed traffic including large trucks speeding more than ten miles-per-hour over the speed limit in local school zones. He also noted that Florida has the third highest number of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents in the country.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida House Bill 657, which passed in 2023. That law allows municipalities to put cameras in school zones and fine drivers speeding in excess of ten miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Altumint’s speed enforcement program aligns with this legislation and is 100 percent violator funded with no cost to taxpayers.
Speed cameras have been proven to reduce traffic incidents. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted in four cities across the U.S. found the programs reduced the number of accidents resulting in injury or death by an average of 30 percent.
The Chief indicated that the cameras would be placed in all school zones in the city by the start of the next school year along with signs to inform drivers that the speed cameras are in place. The first 30 days that the system is operational the speeders would receive warning tickets. After the 30 day period the speeders would be fined $100 if the camera records speed of 11 or more miles-per-hour over the school zone limit. The chief noted that in those instances where an officer makes a traffic stop for speeding in a school zone the fines could be in the $400 range.
