No Consequences for Thousands of Florida Drivers Who Ran Red Lights
A processing delay by an Arizona company is to blame: report
Friday, Feb 10, 2012 | Updated 9:03 PM EDT
NBC Local Media
A processing delay by the Arizona company that mostly handles Florida’s red light cameras means that more than 5,000 drivers will face no consequences if they don’t pay their tickets, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
American Traffic Solutions has not been processing tickets fast enough, so some drivers who ran red lights in Broward and Palm Beach counties recently and don’t pay their $158 tickets within a 30-day time limit will be A-OK, the newspaper said.
State law says that a traffic ticket and the corresponding follow-up ticket if the first is not paid have to be processed within 60 days of the violation. But if both tickets aren’t processed, the fine is sent but cannot be enforced, the Sun Sentinel explained.
The lost revenues for local cities will be substantial: about $200,000 for Pembroke Pines, about $40,000 for Fort Lauderdale, and about $20,000 for Sunrise.
"We had failures," Christopher Merdon, the regional vice president for American Traffic Solutions, told the Pembroke Pines City Commission. "I'm taking responsibility for that. We had staff issues and a huge volume increase at the holidays. And we damaged you by it."
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