John Sims Parkway in front of Eglin Air Force Base’s east gate may soon become a trap for drivers speeding to and from work, but the idea faced some pushback in its initial presentation to the City Commissioners at Valparaiso’s monthly meeting.
Valparaiso police officers proposed installing school zone traffic cameras, similar to those around Niceville High School and Ruckel Middle School, to slow traffic.
Ultimately, the commission gave city staff the green light to look into the program further and discuss pricing with vendors.
According to Police Chief Joe Hart and his subordinate in charge of traffic operations, Captain Bonham, the idea of the traffic cams would be to encourage behaviour change from drivers making their way to and from Eglin Air Force Base.
A portion of John Sims Parkway meanders through The Lewis School’s school zone, which means Florida State Law allows the city to put up a speed camera in the area. Niceville City Manager David Deitch, who was at the Valparaiso meeting to talk about an E-bike ordinance and helped the City of Niceville install similar cameras last year, explained that the cameras can only be used in school zones.
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Valparaiso Police undertook a traffic study the first week of November to determine problem areas for speeding. The officers determined that areas around the Okaloosa STEMM Academy and on Mississippi Avenue next to The Lewis School did not have significant speeding problems. However, VPD said their data indicated speeding on John Sims had gotten out of control. Of the 34,400 trips vehicles took through the zone, police say more than 12,000 exceeded the speed limit by more than 11 miles per hour.
Chief Hart added that the number of car trips going to and from base was significantly lower than they normally would be, and that the city leaders should expect more cars to be speeding through the area. However, the Florida Department of Transportation’s statistics anticipate an Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) of 17,000 on the road. The busiest road in the Niceville area is the stretch of State Route 20 that goes through Bluewater Bay, at about 40,000 AADT.
“We’ve actually got people passing Lewis school, 60-70 miles an hour when they leave that gate,” Bonham said.
The stats did not seem to ease Commissioner Chris Wasdin’s reticence to install the fixtures. “There are no houses on the other side of John Sims Parkway. Why does that need to be a school zone? There are no children crossing that road.”
Commissioner Key Hamilton took a brighter view of the project, noting that it could generate much-needed revenue for the city.
According to Valparaiso Police Officers, the vendor installed the speed cameras in the school zone at no cost. The vendor takes a cut of the $100 fine meted out for speeding in the school zone. The cost of a speed camera fine is significantly less than being pulled over by a police officer and issued a ticket, which Chief Hart said the state sets at about $300 for driving more than 11 miles over the limit.
While the exact amount of revenue the city generates varies depending on the contract, Niceville City Manager David Deitch says the state sets a limit on how much a city can reap from the program.
The cities with the cameras must share the revenues with other programs and organizations. Every group, from the crossing guards to the schools to local law enforcement, gets a piece of the pie. According to Chief Hart, the city of Shalimar collects about $35 per ticket. Niceville, he added, reaped about $12,000 in the latest reporting month from the program.
To get that cash, the city must choose one of the many vendors available to cities in Florida. The vendor then installs the cameras in the designated areas and uses laser technology to measure speed.
When the camera determines it has detected a violation, it must go in front of a police officer to have the footage double-checked. The officer then verifies the plate number, the vehicle description, and then determines if it violated the posted speed.
The cameras also come with strict rules concerning when they can operate. The state statute allows the cameras to operate during standard school zone hours and throughout the entire school day. That means people can get a ticket in the middle of the day for speeding in a school zone, even if the flashing lights are off.
That last little bit perked up the ears of Mayor Brent Smith. He said he felt the cameras running during the school day were unfair because the school zone lights were not flashing. Chief Hart and Niceville Manager Deitch explained that the cameras were an all-or-nothing proposition.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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