Red-light cameras to remain in Florida

The annual effort to ban redlight cameras in Florida crashed Tuesday when the Senate Transportation Committee rejected the idea in a tie vote. “To all the lobbyists, you got me,” said Sen. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, complaining his bill (SB 178) faced opposition from a 24-member lobbying team hired by American Traffic Solutions, the dominant red-light camera vendor in Florida. Artiles and other advocates of the bill thought their case had been bolstered by a Dec. 31 report from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles showing intersection crashes were up 10.41 percent when comparing data before and after the cameras were installed. Camera supporters complained the report was flawed because it included crashes up to 250 feet from intersections. They say the devices have improved road safety. Opponents say the cameras have become a revenue source for local governments and red-light camera companies.