Winter Park police are reviewing the need for speed enforcement technology in school zones under a state law passed in 2023.

House Bill 657 authorizes municipalities to enforce speed limits in school zones through automated speed enforcement systems and to issue traffic tickets to traffic cops. The automated devices are similar to red light cameras and take photos or videos of the license plates of vehicles traveling more than 10 miles per hour faster than the posted speed limit. The question about Winter Park’s possible involvement was raised by Mayor Sheila DeCiccio to Police Chief Timothy Volkerson during the Aug. 14 City Commission meeting.

“Before the law was passed, we did an initial traffic study in several of our school zones; we haven’t gotten much further than that,” Volkerson responded, adding that the police department will seek feedback from communities currently working on the process before making a decision to recommend the technology.

According to a report by WESH 2 News, Eustis installed cameras in school zones in February, making it the first city in the state to use this method of speed enforcement. Hanes City and St. Cloud have also approved the measure, and Manatee County is launching its school zone speed enforcement program this week. Drivers who speed during an initial 30-day period will be given a warning. After 30 days, violators will receive a warning and a $100 fine.

Volkerson told the32789 that Winter Park police currently dispatch a traffic cop to school zones to combat speeders, and that an established process for the city to approve the new school zone program would need to be followed before implementation could occur. “We have multiple school zones in the city and each would need to be independently assessed if the city decides to move forward.”