Palm Coast not stopping on red

Palm Coast Observer
News

The 10 red light cameras throughout the city collect approximately $19,000 annually.

Palm Coast has no plans to step on the brake in issuing red light citations with the city’s 10 cameras, officials said Tuesday.

Four of the five Palm Coast City Council members said at the Nov. 29 workshop that they feel the cameras have helped change driver behavior in the city — saving lives and reducing the number of traffic accidents.

City Councilman Jason DeLorenzo said he thought the program should be terminated Dec. 31, when the contract was set to expire with American Traffic Solutions.

The city’s 10 cameras monitor six intersections.

The city will conduct more research to determine if more cameras should be added, or if some will be relocated to different intersections.

Palm Coast signed a three-year contract with American Traffic Solutions in December 2007 to implement red light cameras. By June 2008, the city was issuing citations.

At that time, a citation from a red light camera had a price tag of $125; the city received $85, and ATS received $40. However, state law changed July 1, 2010, with the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, named after a Bradenton man who was hit and killed by a red-light runner in 2003.

Because of state law, the citation price increased to $158, of which $83 goes to the state.

The city’s new agreement with ATS would be a 60-40 split, meaning ATS would get 60% of the remaining $75 per citation, translating to $45. The city would get $30, according to a presentation Tuesday by Nestor Abreu, community development director for the city.

Additionally, the city would reimburse ATS for citations dating back to July 1, 2010. The city has been operating on a month-to-month basis with ATS since the legislation passed.

The City Council didn’t decide Tuesday how long it wanted to extend its contract with ATS, but the original agreement called for an extension of up to five years.

City Councilman Bill McGuire said the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office should have a say as to where new cameras should be placed, or where existing cameras should be relocated.

Meanwhile, City Counciilman Frank Meeker said that, despite some residents’ accusations, red light cameras aren’t a “cash cow” for the city.

The monthly gross revenue collected from citations is $24,171. Of that, $12,740 (53%) goes to the state; $6,877 (28%) goes to ATS; and $4,585 (19%) goes to the city.

On average, the red light cameras produce approximately $19,000 annually, which goes into the city’s streets improvements fund.

“I think the data shows that it really isn’t,” Meeker said Tuesday.

City Manager Jim Landon added that the program barely pays for itself.

Mayor Jon Netts said that if camera locations are changed because a particular intersection is seeing fewer violations, he’d like to see a study to determine whether violations increase because of the absence of a camera.

Additionally, the City Council agreed to change the wording on the notice sent to drivers who receive citations for red light violations.

Gail Wadsworth, Flagler County clerk of the courts, spoke Tuesday at the presentation. She said some of the citations have been dismissed because of the wording. Also, the time span from when the camera takes the picture to when the driver is notified is about 14 days. Netts said that should be cut down, if possible.

Council members agreed that the trends prove an increase in driver safety. In 2008, an average of 965 monthly red light citations were given out. In 2009, 744 were given out each month. In 2010, the year the state legislation was passed, the monthly average slipped to 520. For this year, the monthly average is 341.

Netts said the cameras aren’t just for making drivers more aware of the traffic signals and the dangers of busy intersections.

“You can not only use (the red light cameras) for apprehension, but you can also use them for exoneration,” Netts said.