Hollywood may ditch red-light cameras
Mayor says it’s costing city $50K per month
HOLLYWOOD — Drivers here may soon be saying goodbye to red-light cameras.
Mayor Peter Bober is sound- ing the death knell for the city’s program, saying it’s costing taxpayers an estimated $50,000 a month.
Hollywood commissioners are expected to vote Wednesday to terminate the city’s contract with camera vendor American Traffic Solutions.
“I believe the time has come to pull the plug,” Bober said in an email to the city manager and city attorney. “In the final analysis, the city’s red-light program is not performing as promised by the vendor. Instead of having a program that is cost neutral, we have a program that is costing the city about $48,725.00 per month. As originally advertised, the pro-
gram was not supposed to put the city in the red.” Longtime resident Helen Chervin was thrilled to hear that the camera program might be shuttered for good. “I don’t like being under scrutiny like that,” said Chervin, who received a $158 fine a year ago after inadvertently running a red light at Hollywood Boulevard and Interstate 95. Chervin wasn’t happy to hear the program was costing the city $50,000 a month. “That’s a lot of money,” she said. “It’s outrageous.” The mayor’s call to end the program follows a series of legal setbacks. An appeals court struck down Hollywood’s camera program in October, ruling the city had improperly delegated too much police authority to a private vendor, Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions. Soon afterward, Hollywood stopped citing red-light runners, but left the cameras rolling in case the city won on appeal. In April, the Florida Supreme Court declined to hear Hollywood’s appeal. Despite court rulings, Sunrise and Davie are among the few cities in South Florida to keep the cameras running. Both cities say they have tweaked their programs to remain compliant with state law. Fort Lauderdale suspended its program in March, soon after a Broward County traffic court judge deemed it illegal.
Other municipalities have also ended or suspended their red-light camera programs, including Hallandale Beach, Margate,
Coral Springs, Tamarac, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and unincorporated Palm Beach County. Boynton Beach suspended its program in April to give American Traffic Solutions time to amend the program. Initially, Hollywood City Attorney Jeffrey Sheffel said the program would be tweaked to bring it into compliance with state law. That meant city employees, not American Traffic Solutions, would have to review video images of possible offenses, making the program even more costly. Hollywood, under contract with American Traffic Solutions since May 2010, is free to end the agreement with a 60-day notice, with or without cause. Hollywood Commissioner Dick Blattner, a fan of the city’s 18 red-light cameras, said he has reluctantly changed his mind about keeping them. “I do believe they have changed habits and I do think they have saved lives,” Blattner said. “But it’s at a terrible cost. And given the court decisions, it’s just not something we can afford to do." Terminating the contract will require a supermajority vote, meaning at least five of Hollywood’s seven commissioners must approve the plan. “I don’t get the impression that this is something people want to see continue,” Bober said. “I’m optimistic that the program has run its course and the commission will recognize that it’s time to move on.” The meeting begins at 1 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 2600 Hollywood Blvd., Room 219.