- April 26, 2024
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A new red light camera law that was signed by Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday will allow local governments to charge more money for the appeals process, but Palm Coast officials said earlier this week they don’t intend on collecting more money.
The new law allows local governments to charge red light runners more money (up to $250) if the driver decides to contest the citation in court and loses the appeal; the appeal will now go through a local hearing officer. That could bring the total red light camera experience to more than $400.
Palm Coast will also go through a local hearing officer, but if a red light runner appeals a citation and loses, the court costs and appeals fee won’t be as steep, according to City Manager Jim Landon.
The new fee hasn’t been determined by the Palm Coast City Council, but Landon said Thursday that the fee could be anywhere from $40 to $50, a fee similar to others already established in the city. Losing an animal control appeal, for example, is $40.
Landon said the $158 the state charges for the citation is regulated by the state and will remain the same.
If a driver wins the appeals process, then there will be no costs associated with the entire process. A loss of an appeal could run someone about $198.
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts has publicy said he’s opposed to charging more than what’s required for red light citations. He also warned the public at Tuesday’s City Council workshop that these are items the current council agree on, and that a different City Council could impose higher fees if it chooses.
"The city can get more dollars and, of course, Tallahassee can get more dollars, and that’s where I said, 'No thank you,'" Netts said.
There are 43 red light cameras monitoring several Palm Coast intersections. For the seven-day time period of May 20 to May 26, there were 4,014 violation events. Of those, 3,556 were rejected, and 458 citations were issued.
House Bill 7125 also extends the payment window from 30 days to 60 days, something Landon said is more fair. It will take effect July 1.
If an accused red light runner submits a check to ATS and it gets lost or for any other reason isn't paid on time, the citation gets forwarded to the court system and it becomes a unified traffic citation, which costs the driver more money and could mean a penalty of points on their license.
Landon said paying in person, over the phone or with a credit card might help to reduce the number of lost payments.
The City Council will vote on ordinance changes to comply with the new state law at its upcoming meetings this month.
