We know they are annoying, but are red-light cameras unconstitutional? Well, it depends on whom you ask, but it is starting to seem that way. Over in Hollywood, FL, The Florida Supreme Court has declined to hear the city’s appeal of an earlier court loss. This is yet another major blow for red-light cameras. It’s unclear whether or not the program is officially dead.
More and more cities and towns have either suspended or completely scrapped their red-light camera programs. So why are red-light camera programs slowly going the way of the dodo bird? The Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that many cities improperly delegated too much police authority to a private vendor.
The way the programs are operating as of now is dead, but that doesn’t mean the battle is over. Once changes are made to the system, you can expect a restart of the red-light camera program. The biggest change will be that cities, not private vendors (like the one in Arizona), will screen all video images of possible offenses. How much will all of this cost in money or manpower? That remains to be scene.
This is a positive scene in the battle against red-light cameras. While the intention was in the right place at first, it has now become unreal. Malfunctioning cameras have been the biggest issue. In Broward County alone, traffic courts have dismissed 24,000 pending tickets this year! If you have red-light camera tickets piling up, find a traffic ticket attorney that will review your case to determine the most effective defense strategy.
