Red light cameras are getting the green light up in West Palm Beach, where the city is issuing tickets despite last month's ruling that Aventura's similar system is unconstitutional.
The first fine was issued in the Palm Beach County municipality on Feb. 21, according to the Palm Beach Post, a day before Judge Jerald Bagley ruled against Aventura.
Bagley called it unconstitutional because the city issued code violations and not traffic violations to motorists who ran a red light.
While only the State can establish driving laws, the cities who installed the lights tried to get around that by calling them violations.
“Tickets should be issued,” said Judge Bagley, “by a law enforcement officer who has observed the actions of the part of the alleged violator running a red light.”
The cameras bring in scores of citations and millions of dollars, not only for the cities but for private companies.
Aventura has said it will appeal the ruling. In the meantime, West Palm Beach is forging ahead with its program.
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The city plans on holding any collected money in an account until the issue is discussed at a legislative session later this week.
Mayor Lois Frankel wants to avoid the costs associated with mailing the money back to red light runners.
"Nothing would aggravate me more than some sucker going through a red light and it ends ups costing me, the city, money," Frankel told the Post.
Other South Florida cities have similar ways to catch speeders and beef up city revenues, so the ruling against the cameras could open the flood gates to challenges.
Places like Bal Harbour and Miami Beach just installed them, and places like Hallandale Beach, Homestead, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and Pembroke Pines have had them for awhile.
A lawsuit was filed against Hallandale withing hours of the ruling in Aventura.
