TEMPLE TERRACE — Speed cameras are one vote away from coming to five Temple Terrace school zones after the City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance creating a School Speed Zone Enforcement Program.
The ordinance would let the Temple Terrace Police Department use automated speed detection cameras to ticket drivers who speed through school zones.
Cameras would only operate during flashing light periods, roughly 30 minutes before and after the start and end of the school day, and not throughout the day. Enforcement would only take place on the streets surrounding the schools, not major roads like Fowler Avenue or 56th Street.
The proposal follows a February traffic study that found widespread speeding around all five school zones at Greco Middle School, Woodmont Charter Schools, Temple Terrace Elementary School, Lewis Elementary School and River Hills Elementary Magnet School.
The study, conducted by RedSpeed, which also manages school zone cameras for Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa, recorded more than 20,000 vehicles over three days.
When the data is narrowed to school zone hours, the results showed why city officials are concerned.
Greco Middle posted the highest violation rate. During school zone enforcement hours, 1,130 of the 2,302 vehicles recorded — 49% — were traveling more than 10 mph above the posted 15 mph limit.
Woodmont Charter School followed closely, with 719 of 1,498 vehicles (48%) during its school zone hours clocked going 26 mph or faster in 15 mph school zones.
Lewis (38.5%) and Temple Terrace (36.5%) elementary schools followed, with Riverhills yielding the best numbers at 23.7%.
The council also debated how the city would select a vendor.
Deputy City Attorney Nicole Donnell and Police Capt. Jason Malavé told the council the city plans to “piggyback” onto an existing government contract rather than seek competitive bids, an approach allowed because the program doesn’t cost the city anything. Instead, vendors are paid through a share of citation revenue.
Council member Erik Kravets argued that the city has a poor track record of settling for noncompetitive agreements. He twice attempted to gain support to require a competitive bidding process, but neither motion received a second. He ultimately voted for the ordinance but called it a “weak motion.”
Mayor Andy Ross had privacy concerns, questioning how long footage would be retained, whether the vendors could sell or share data and what happens to drivers who claim someone else was behind the wheel.
Under the proposed system, non-violation footage would be deleted after 30 days, while footage tied to an actual citation would be destroyed 90 days after the case is resolved. Registered vehicle owners who weren’t driving can file a sworn affidavit identifying the actual driver, who would then be issued the citation instead.
“School zone safety is one thing,” Ross said. “Getting into selling personal data and stuff, and spying on the public, I’m not interested in that.”
Donnell assured him state law bars using the system for remote surveillance.
Councilmember James Chambers worried residents might view this as a money grab on the city’s part. But Malavé pointed out that Temple Terrace intentionally limited enforcement to brief periods when school-zone lights are flashing, even though state law allows cameras to operate throughout the school day.
“I can’t think of another city that has chosen to say, ‘Hey, look, we’re going to monitor specifically during flashing light time, morning time, and at the end of the day,’” he said. “This is a system that could be used all day long to essentially capture more money, but it’s not being used that way.”
Council member Alison Fernandez cast the lone no vote.
“I just have a real issue with the remote speed enforcement, and I have the same issue with the red-light cameras, I have the same issue with the bus cameras,” she said. “It’s just not a program or an enforcement model that I can support.”
The program would roll out in three phases over six months: Greco Middle and Lewis Elementary first, followed by Woodmont Charter and Temple Terrace Elementary, then River Hills.
The ordinance’s second reading and public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4. The contract, when finalized, will also come before the council.