TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa City Council voted to make changes to its current ordinance regarding automated speed cameras in school zones.
The proposed changes include expanding the program to 18 locations, with six locations staying the same.
WATCH: Tampa City Council looks to expand school zone speed camera program
"We do want to make sure that the locations that have the most speeding violations are the ones that we're actually putting our speed cameras at," said Deputy Chief Patrick Messmer with the Tampa Police Department.
Tampa City cCuncil voted to approve these changes during a first reading last week.
The city has a contract with RedSpeed. In April, the company conducted a study to identify the schools with the highest number of speeders.
St. Lawrence Catholic School saw the highest number of speeders with a daily average of 3,021. Robinson High School was second on the list.
Other schools with high violation numbers include Lanier Elementary School, Young Middle Magnet School and Turner/Bartels K-8 School.
Under the program, speeders would receive a $100 citation.
Council member Luis Viera supports the program.
"It's very narrowly tailored, it's narrowly tailored to protect the lives of children, that's why I strongly support this," he said.
Council member Lynn Hurtak had concerns about privacy and tracking data. She expressed concerns about information being shared with immigration enforcement.
Deputy Chief Messmer said state law does not allow data sharing.
"Both the state statute and the city ordinance do not allow the sharing of any kind of data for surveillance purposes, so there will be none of that," he said.
"We do know that these cameras make school zones safer."
Council members are expected to hold a second reading on the ordinance on July 16.
If approved, the additional cameras could be placed in select school zones as early as August 2026.
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