Red Light Camera News Manatee County scraps installed red light cameras: New law makes cameras financial bust for county
Manatee County scraps installed red light cameras
New law makes cameras financial bust for county
Posted: 12/20/2011
By: Carson Chambers
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. - The Manatee County intersection at 34th Street West and 53rd Avenue was supposed to be safer after the red light camera went-up.
"I'm just looking out to save someone's life in the future and this could," said Commissioner Carol Whitmore.
(Ban the Cams commemt: SUREEE. Nice Spin! Still doesn't change the fact that the ONLY REASON YOU WANTED RLC WAS MONEY!)
She says the camera perched here and at three other locations is a project the county's worked on since 2009. They've been to Tallahassee and back several times. But today, the project hit a red light.
"The county would have lost money. In the contract, the company would still get their money. The county would have lost money and would have put up big money," said Whitmore.
The county voted to cut all ties with the company that installed the red light cameras before they even took one picture. In fact, they were never even turned on.
That's because while Manatee County made plans to start ticketing red light runners, in Tallahassee, lawmakers put a snag in that plan.
"In the meantime, the Florida legislature acted which according to our legal staff, preempted our contract so it was out of our control," said Commissioner Michael Gallen.
Legislators passed a new law regulating the way red light camera profits are split-up between state and local governments and private vendors.
ACS, the company that installed the camera, sent a letter to Manatee County in November warning if it breached their contract the county would be stuck with $600,000 dollars in fees.
Whitmore says they hope to negotiate the fees. She says it’s still likely the bill will be paid by drivers who pass through this busy intersection, no safer today than it was in 2009.
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