Speed Cameras in Miami

Red light cameras Miami drivers ask about

The City of Miami itself does not currently run a red-light camera program. City budget material lists the City of Miami red-light camera program as discontinued effective February 28, 2018, after a City Commission action in December 2017. That means a driver inside the City of Miami is more likely to encounter officer enforcement, ordinary traffic cameras, licence plate readers, or signal monitoring equipment than a city red-light ticket camera.

Red light cameras in Miami-Dade County are not a countywide program either. Miami-Dade County repealed its authority to operate red-light cameras in unincorporated areas in 2016. However, individual municipalities in the county may run their own programs under Florida law. That is why searches for red light cameras Miami-Dade County can be confusing: the answer changes as you cross into Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Miami Springs, West Miami, South Miami, Medley, Aventura, Homestead, Florida City and other cities with their own rules or reports.

Where they operate, red-light cameras generally enforce red signals at signed intersections. Miami Beach, for example, lists camera locations on corridors such as Washington Avenue, Alton Road, Indian Creek Drive, Dade Boulevard, Prairie Avenue and 41st Street. Red-light enforcement is tied to the traffic signal rather than a school-day window, but each city controls its own program and published locations.

Speed cameras Miami drivers may encounter

There is no general citywide system of speed cameras in Miami and no average-speed camera program like those used in some other countries. Florida’s automated speed enforcement authority is focused on school zones. Miami-Dade County operates a RedSpeed school-zone camera safety program in unincorporated areas, and some municipalities have adopted their own school-zone speed detection systems.

Miami-Dade says its school-zone system is active during the school day session, with exact times based on the individual school schedule. State law allows enforcement for vehicles more than 10 mph over the school-zone speed limit during arrival and dismissal windows, and more than 10 mph over the regular posted limit during the rest of the scheduled school session. The county lists enforced approaches at schools including Goulds Elementary, Hammocks Middle, Madie Ives K-8, Redland Middle, Devon Aire K-8, Highland Oaks Middle, E.W.F. Stirrup Elementary/Ruben Dario Middle, American Senior High, Charles R. Drew K-8 and Robert Russa Moton Elementary.

In practical terms, speed cameras in Miami searches often return locations with Miami postal addresses that are outside City of Miami limits. Read the sign, the agency name on any notice, and the school-zone time panel carefully. If you use the Speed Camera Radar Detector app, set alerts before you drive and treat them only as a planning aid, not as a substitute for posted signs.

• School-zone cameras only where a county or city has authorized them
• More than 10 mph over the applicable limit is the camera threshold
• Average-speed cameras are not a Miami program

Tickets, delivery and contesting a notice

A Florida red-light camera notice is mailed to the registered owner, normally by first-class mail, and must offer the owner a way to review the photo or video evidence. Under the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program, the notice amount is $158 and the owner generally has 60 days from the notice date to pay, submit an allowed affidavit, or request a hearing before a uniform traffic citation is issued.

For school-zone speed cameras, Florida law requires notice to the registered owner within 30 days after the violation. The notice must show the plate, date, time, location, vehicle speed and posted speed limit. The owner generally has 30 days after the notice date to pay, submit an affidavit, or request a hearing. If the notice is not handled, a uniform traffic citation may be mailed by certified mail, and court costs can make the case more expensive.

Affidavit options vary by program type, but common Florida grounds include that another person had care, custody or control of the vehicle, the vehicle was stolen, a police officer issued a citation for the same event, or the vehicle was directed through by law enforcement or emergency circumstances. This is educational information only. Follow the instructions printed on the notice you received, because the hearing office and deadline depend on the issuing city or county.

Local speed limits and everyday enforcement

Florida’s default municipal speed limit is 30 mph unless signs post another limit. A municipality may set 20 or 25 mph limits on local residential streets after the required study, and all changed limits must be posted. In Miami, expect a mix of 25-30 mph on neighborhood streets, 35-45 mph on larger arterials, and higher posted limits on expressways and state roads.

Miami-Dade school zones are commonly posted at 15 mph during reduced-speed arrival and dismissal periods, while the normal posted road speed applies during the rest of the school day unless a sign says otherwise. County code states that school speed zones must be clearly posted. Work zones are enforced by posted temporary limits and by officers; this guide found no separate Miami work-zone speed-camera program.

Drivers should treat cameras as only one part of enforcement. Miami Police, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol and municipal police departments can still issue officer-written citations for speeding, red-light running, school-zone violations, unsafe turns and failure to stop for school buses.

• 30 mph default in municipalities unless posted
• 15 mph commonly posted in school zones at arrival and dismissal
• Higher arterial and expressway limits depend on signs