FLORIDA — Florida's school speed zone cameras have captured about 1 million drivers speeding through school zones around the state since last year — but a new court ruling by a traffic hearing officer in South Florida is raising questions about whether some of these devices are operating illegally.
Watch report from Katie LaGrone
The issue centers on some of the speed measuring devices inside the cameras, which critics argue were never approved by the state as required by Florida Administrative Code. Attorney Ted Hollander of The Ticket Clinic recently represented a client who fought a ticket after being clocked by a school speed zone camera going 42 miles per hour in a 30-mph zone. As part of the defense, Hollander argued the radar inside the camera was never approved by Florida's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles which, according to administrative code, requires "all speed measuring devices…used in obtaining evidence of speeds" to be approved "prior to use.”
A Broward County traffic hearing officer agreed — and dismissed the case.
"This is really a statewide battle," Hollander said.
While the initial ruling was isolated to his client’s case in Hollywood, Florida, Hollander's firm has taken the same argument to other cities and counties across the state.
"We've already been to Miami-Dade County and got the same ruling. We've been to Kissimmee, in Osceola County and got the same ruling there, too," Hollander said. "We've now had three different counties rule in our favor that the device needs to be approved before they can use it."
Since 2025, Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone and photojournalist Matthew Apthorp have been investigating the state's new school speed zone camera program. The program was approved by lawmakers to improve student safety around school campuses, but almost immediately after the cameras began operating, drivers came forward saying they were unfairly ticketed for allegedly speeding and fined $100.
But in some cases, school was not even in session when the tickets were issued, or classes had already started. In other cases, LaGrone found, signs were not clearly posted, or the flashing lights meant to direct drivers to slow down never activated.
The program has also frustrated at least one county hearing officer who spent months ruling on appeals from drivers who tried to appeal their violation. Dr. Tom Santarlas was the sole hearing officer hearing school speed zone camera appeals in Hillsborough County before he was reassigned earlier this year. Santarlas believes he was reassigned because he started voicing concerns about the program’s fairness to drivers.
During an interview with Reporter Katie LaGrone in February, LaGrone asked Santarlas if the school speed zone camera program is set up for drivers to fail, and he answered directly.
"Absolutely," Santarlas said.
"It's a broken system. There's no doubt about it," he told her.
Despite the criticism, the program has generated significant revenue. At least $66 million in paid fines in just over a year, according to vendor data from February.
In the Hollywood case, court records show that the city of Hollywood argued that the school speed zone camera law does not require the state to approve speed-measuring devices. But the hearing officer rejected that argument. According to a city spokesperson, the City Attorney is “reviewing next steps.”
Hollander said his team plans to continue challenging the cameras in court.
"This isn't really about children. This isn't really about changing people's behavior. It's about collecting the $100 in our opinion, and we believe it's a money grab, and that's why we're fighting so hard to try to stop it," Hollander said.
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