NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – Neptune Beach is looking at adding speed cameras to school zones.
If approved, drivers could get a $100 ticket if they are caught going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. Violators would receive tickets in the mail.
The ticket would have a photo of the driver’s license plate and the speed they were traveling at the time.
The cameras would only catch speeders, not drivers running red lights or any other traffic violations.
The cameras would only operate during the hours school zones are in effect, that is typically 30 minutes before and after school. They would be turned off on weekends, over the summer, and during holiday breaks.
The money from the tickets would go back to public safety.
Neptune Beach has already done a traffic study on the issue and at Neptune Beach Elementary, it found 200 speeding violations per day and roughly the same amount at Beaches Chapel School.
Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key said that while the city hasn’t had a recent crash involving a child in a school zone, the greater Jacksonville area has had several examples.
Fernandina Beach is working on a similar program.
It’s just the first reading of the legislation in Neptune Beach so it will be a few more weeks before it goes to a vote.