Panama City terminating School Zone Automated Enforcement Program

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - On Tuesday, Panama City Commissioners approved the termination of the School Zone Automated Enforcement Program.

According to the city, the recommendation to end the program was made by Panama City Police Chief Mark Smith, with support from City Manager Jonathan Hayes, following issues involving the vendor operating the program, RedSpeed.

However, police say there is still a speeding problem within the city’s school zones.

According to city officials, since the program began full enforcement on August 10, 2026, police approved more than 3,000 notices of violation for motorists traveling at excessive speeds within the school zone.

But Panama City Police say they no longer have trust and confidence in RedSpeed under their current agreement.

“The Panama City Police Department has integrity, and we greatly care about preserving the trust that our citizens place in us,” said Police Chief Mark Smith. “We continue to believe there is a very apparent speeding problem in our school zones, and we support efforts to address that problem. At the same time, we have to have confidence in the people and systems we rely upon to carry out enforcement on behalf of the City and our community. Based on the administration and equipment issues we have experienced, we no longer have that confidence in the current vendor.”

Police stopped approving violation notices on September 17.

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