Red Light Camera News The Battle Heats Up in Florida
BanTheCams.org the National Motorists Association (NMA), Campaign For Liberty, the Libertarian Party of Florida (LPF), and Florida Civil Rights Association (FCRA), have jointly participated in a statewide protest this Saturday to raise awareness of the negative effects of red light cameras on driver's safety and to support State Senator Rene Garcia's bill SB672 and the related bill in the Florida House H4087 put forth by State Representative Richard Corcoran to repeal red light cameras in the Florida.
As early as this past weekend it was reported how the installation of the cameras have backfired against the legislators and even the most recent Florida study has shown the reasons why the cameras should be removed from intersections and not used in Florida.
It is not widely reported, however several states have banned the cameras either for Constitutional reasons or for safety reasons. And for those states that have not banned them, dozens of counties and municipalities removed the cameras after being installed.
BanTheCams.org would like to see its Florida members and supporters to contact their State Senators and their State Representatives an encourage them to support SB672 / HB 4087 and express their displeasure at seeing these cameras spring up at our intersections.
State Lawmakers to Repeal Florida Red Light Camera Law
Filed Senate Bill 672
Red light cameras have become cash cows for cities with revenue problems. But one state senator wants to remove all red light cameras from state roads by July under a new bill, according to the News Service of Florida.
State Senator Rene Garcia said a bill that allows the red light cameras is an "unwarranted, big-brother initiative." His bill would repeal the red light bill passed last year.
Garcia said that the red light cameras have simply become a way for local governments to use "these cameras to tax their citizens under the disguise of safety.
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Filed House Bill 4087
Newly elected state Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-New Port Richey, is most adamant about repealing state authorization of the use of red-light cameras. He'll co-sponsor legislation to do so in 2011.
"All it is," Corcoran said in an interview, "is a way to raise taxes on citizens."
"At no time should we allow government to raise taxes" without using the revenue to benefit the public, he said.
"The safety concerns are opposite" from what camera defenders say, Corcoran insists. He claims that studies show monitoring intersections yields only a nominal reduction in side-impact crashes and produce a large increase in rear-end collisions.
State Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, is another camera critic.
"It is unfortunate that some local governments have manipulated the idea of public safety as a mechanism for increased revenues," Legg said. "The American Automobile Association as well as many other groups have studies that have shown that the use of these cameras do not decrease accidents, but in fact increase them.
"Hopefully, common sense will prevail, and expanding government for the sake of increasing revenues without providing additional safety will cease," Legg said.
State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said he has "always been skeptical" of the motivation for using the devices.
"Cities claim it's now being done because it has become a public safety issue," Fasano said. "I believe the red-light cameras are more prevalent statewide because it's a moneymaker, a new source of revenue for the cities. If that is not the case, why did the red-light cameras not exist when our economy was booming and Florida cities were inundated with dollars to spend?"
State Rep. Robert Schenck, R-Spring Hill: The legislative session won't officially begin until Tuesday, March 8.
"To be honest, I think there are enough votes in the House to pass it. It's all about what happens in the Senate," Schenck said. "It could be a long couple of weeks before we see this thing come to a vote."
Read full news article here
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