FLORIDA — A Florida driver is spending more money fighting a school bus camera ticket than the violation itself is worth, and he says it's a matter of principle.
Stanley Shultz is now appealing a judge's ruling upholding a $225 violation he received after a school bus camera captured him allegedly passing a stopped bus. The second appeal alone cost him $293 just to file. More than the original fine.
Watch report from Katie LaGrone
"I don't think I'm necessarily guilty of this," Shultz said.
Combined with his original $225 fine and a $45 court fee from his first appeal, Shultz now faces nearly $600 in violation and court fees to prove his innocence.
The dispute began in October when Shultz was caught on camera passing a school bus in Hillsborough County with its stop arm deployed. However, video from his citation shows the bus' warning lights did not flash before the bus stopped and its stop arm deployed, the moment Shultz can be seen driving past it. He appealed and lost. In a recent investigation, Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone found most drivers who try and appeal their violations lose.
When asked why he didn't simply pay the fine and move on, Shultz said he believes the system is fundamentally flawed.
"I don't think the process is correct. I don't think the judges have the right policies and procedures to hear people out in very specific cases," Shultz said.
MORE: '100% it’s a money grab': Florida school bus cameras generate millions for school districts
Shultz's latest appeal follows a new class action lawsuit in which he is named as a plaintiff. The suit accuses the Hillsborough County School District and for-profit camera vendor Bus Patrol of operating a bus camera appeals process that violates state law by employing non-local judges to hear cases.
His fight comes as Florida lawmakers are considering expanding the controversial school bus camera program. A new bill would allow private schools and charter schools to equip buses with automated cameras, potentially subjecting more drivers to more fines. If approved, the new law would take effect July 1.
"What's changing with this bill is there will be more buses that these cameras can be deployed on," said the bill’s House sponsor, Republican Representative Fiona McFarland of Sarasota, during a committee hearing last month.
Since Florida gave school bus cameras the green light, the program has faced scrutiny over unfair ticketing, high citation volumes and significant revenue generation. In just a handful of counties, a total of nearly 500,000 violations has been issued and nearly $50 million in fines collected.
"I would never injure a child on a bus," Shultz said about his violation.
For Shultz, the fight is about more than his own ticket.
"I think somebody really needs to take a strong look at it. And from my personal perspective, I think that they're finding people liable for it that really shouldn't be. And there's a lot of cases of it," Shultz said.
This story was reported on-air by Katie LaGrone and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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