Panama City pumps the brakes on automated speed enforcement in school zones

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - At Tuesday’s meeting, the Panama City commissioners decided to wait until fall to implement the ticketing portion of the new speed camera program in school zones.

The program is designed to catch drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than 11 mph when school zone lights are flashing. The cameras are set to record 30 minutes before school starts and 30 minutes after dismissal.

Commissioners said they wanted more time to gather data before enforcing the $100 citations.

Commissioner Robbie Hughes noted that it wasn’t in anyone’s best interest to fully enforce the program until fall, when they can be fully prepared.

Hughes added, “We need to make sure that we are doing it right, okay. We gotta protect our kids, okay. But we gotta do this data part right. So by extending it out, here’s what we found: we need to slow down.”

City officials said they have already issued almost 6,000 warnings for drivers going over the speed limit.

Assistant City Manager Jared Jones said the program is already changing driver behavior.

“From a behavior standpoint, I think there are many community members who have seen a shift because nobody wants to get a warning or citation,” Jones said.

City officials said all revenue generated from the tickets, once implemented, will be used to pay for the program and vendor.

Full enforcement was set to start May 22, but has been pushed back to begin once school starts back in the fall.

RELATED: Panama City: Warning period starts for automated speed enforcement in school zones

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